SDE Postbox

The place to post ad-hoc news or info!

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3,592 thoughts on “SDE Postbox

  1. It’s a pity the new Propaganda (Mertens/Dörper) album “Propaganda” was not even mentioned here, after the xPropaganda (Freytag/Brücken) “The Heart is Strange” was featured prominently, even with a SDE surround series release.

  2. Received my copy of Marillion’s This Strange Engine Deluxe Edition. The first one not by EMI. Again, very good value for a fair price. Packaging and presentation follows exactly the releases by EMI.

  3. Cherry Red has postponed the release of the 3-CD + Blu-Ray boxed set of Bill Nelson’s “Quit Dreaming and Get on the Beam” for the second time, and this time,it’s a 2 month postponement until 31st of January 2025. The main thing at stake is whether we get to hear the music in 5.1 surround sound. The set’s bonus tracks are from non-L.P. singles and E.P. tracks. There are no unreleased songs or alternate takes in the set. Cherry Red is offering a refund if customers want it.

  4. Hi Paul – not sure if you heard, but Canada Post went on strike beginning Nov 14 2024 and as of this writing, it’s still ongoing. Over 10 million parcels are piling up undelivered so far. Do you have an alternative shipping method to Canada (without or via Royal Post) that bypasses Canada Post? Looking forward to receiving the next few SDE Surround Series discs but would hate to have them get lost in all the postal chaos. Thanks!

    1. No we don’t. I asked about this recently and the advice given was to carry on shipping, but will check again with Thompson Twins imminent…

      1. Burning Shed had this in an e-mail today (Nov 28):

        “Royal Mail have announced that all services to Canada are suspended from today due to Canada Post industrial action.

        Packages that have been posted from the UK to Canada since 15th November when the strike started are potentially being held by Royal Mail. There is nothing we can do about packages already in the postal system so we have decided not to add to that backlog by sending anything else.

        This means that we will hold all Canadian orders here until further notice.”

  5. Pearl Jam announced the release of a Blu-ray of the Vitalogy album. For now, it seems to only be sold at their webshop. Not much detail on the content other than: “Single Blu-ray disc contains Spatial and Hi-Res Stereo Mixes. Mixed by Josh Evans. (…) We expect product to arrive and ship next week”

    1. The Dolby Atmos mix is up on Tidal and has some nice separation of all the guitars. It’s not my favourite Pearl Jam album but hopefully the first two will follow in due course.

  6. Rhino HiFi just released a box set of all 6 of the Doors albums in a numbered box set. 3000 copies. Rhino, the Doors store, and others are sold out but I have read that Warner Canada still has copies. No word on whether these will get released individually.

  7. Hi Paul,

    Was just wondering if the ‘Into The Gap’ blu ray has been delayed? Perhaps I missed an announcement? Your calendar does still say November 22.

      1. Ah, yes. Just re-read the ITG announcement post. Was fooled by the picture on the calendar page with the SDE exclusive sticker shown. Thanks for the clarification! Expensive winter what with Thompson Twins, The Who, and now Bryan Ferry. Could you start releasing some blu rays that I don’t want? :)

  8. OMD have announced a blu-ray (or DVD if that’s your preference) called Artefact, with a release date of May 2025, that is described as a “lavish product [that] comprehensively celebrates the audiovisual world of OMD’s 14th studio album Bauhaus Staircase.” It includes video and hi-res audio content (the album and b-sides), however it does not include the instrumental versions or the remixes from the CD singles so not exactly comprehensive.

  9. Hi,

    That 16LP colour vinyl Rolling Stones in Mono box set from fnac is back on special offer again, even cheaper! Only 156 Euros at the time of writing, rather than the previous excellent 169 Euros price you originally listed it as! That might even take the total with shipping to the UK below the import tax threshold of £135!

    Cheers, Guy

  10. I finally got around to listening to the Thin Lizzy 1976 Blu Ray last night. I don’t have an Atmos system, but a decent 5.1 that I play the Atmos mixes on and wow! Jailbreak was amazing. So much space, so clear. It’s like a different record. In a good way. Absolutely love it.

  11. Hi Paul, what happened to the reports from your trip to the US? I can only find Day 1. I enjoy reading your reports cheers, TGAOTP

  12. Hi Paul…I’ve just noticed that I am no longer getting email notifications from the site after many years of receving them, thereby missin gout on some amazing deals…please can you check to see if it’s at my end or on the SDE one? Kind regards Paul

          1. That’s because you opted out of email marketing, Alan. Just checked. You ‘unsubscribed’ back in 2021!

  13. Not sure if anyone has seen on the Rhino Store the release of Alice Cooper’s Muscle of Love 50th Anniversary featuring 2CD+ Blu-ray set and a limited to 3000 2LP pink vinyl edition. Seems to be exclusive to Rhino Store (for the present). Mine just arrived today and I can confirm that both the CD & LP sets are packaged in the famed cardboard box. The Blu-ray is a 192/24 quad mix in the style of Rhino’s “Quadio” series.
    Looks like Love It To death has been bypassed completely which is a damn shame

      1. To be Frank (ie) I would love an FGTH Blu Ray, but NOT Welcome to the Pleasuredome. The real gold in the archive is the mixes of all the singles, it would be so much less of a thing without Rage Hard, particularly “The Young Person’s Guide to the 12 inch”. It is unlikely there would ever be a “Liverpool” Blu Ray so the best and only way to do it is a disc where all of the singles appear in all their guises. A collation of all of the best ofs and remix albums. Particularly “as they were released” so the whole contents of the cassingles. It’s too much to ask for I know but that would be my Frankie Holy Grail. The WTTP would be ok, but only half the story.

  14. John Lennon’s last live performance in front of an audience took place at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City for the television program “Salute To Sir Lew – Master Showman” on April 18, 1975. The program was broadcast both in the United States (June 13, 1975) and in the United Kingdom (June 20, 1975), but these were two different 60 minutes versions of the program, formatted for the individual countries.
    In both versions of the program, John Lennon performs the two songs “Slippin’ and Slidin’” from his new album, “Rock’n’Roll” as well as his most famous song from his solo career, “Imagine”.
    Now it turns out that a videotape located in the British Film Institute BFI contains an unedited recording, and there is another song that was performed but not broadcast. This is also one of the songs from “Rock’n’Roll”, his top 20 single hit “Stand By Me”.
    The TV conservators in the Kaleidoscope group obtained a copy of this tape back in 2017, but were unaware that it contained more than what was broadcast. Ray Langstone has now reviewed the tape and concluded that this is a new discovery. He tells us that he is certain that the tape originates from Polygram’s TV archive of past ITC programmes. The catalogue was sold back to ITV around ten years ago, but ITV already had the broadcast version and gave the unedited tape to the BFI.
    Kaleidoscope will be showing the full tape at the Midlands Art Centre Birmingham in June 2025.
    Here is a short film clip showing some of the differences between the US and UK versions of the programme, as well as a bit of the newly discovered performance of “Stand By Me”.
    https://www.norwegianwood.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/lewgrade_samples.mp4

  15. Couple of Cherry Red bargains on Amazon UK at time of writing (1/11/24):
    Toyah – Changeling super deluxe vinyl / CD box set is just £75 (about 40-50% cheaper than rrp) + £2.25 post
    Eyeless In Gaza – Skeletal Framework the Cherry Red Recordings 1981-86. 5 cd box set just £12.99 (just over one third of the rrp price) + £2.25 post

  16. Did anyone have any luck with the Porupine Tree Fear of a Blank Planet box from FNAC? Crazy cheap price but my order is sitting there not shipping. Anyone else?

  17. On the 7th of March 2025,the Madfish label follows its’ 37 CD John Mayall box,”The First Generation” with another Mayall box, the 30-CD box,”The Second Generation:Live Magic 1968-1992″ a collection of soundboard and audience recordings authorised by Mayall’s estate, Be cautioned that only the first three concerts are from the Decca years (considered by many to be Mayall’s heyday. As with “The First Generation”, the set is in a 12″ x 12″ box and contains a hardback book

  18. Sparks… Kimono My House and Propaganda are being reissued as a remastered & expanded 3CD set “1974” in 7″ packaging. The individual albums are also being reissued in a plethora of vinyl formats.

  19. Pardon me if I choke on my coffee, but just seen that the video included in the Jimi Hendrix Electric Lady Studios that I bought only 3 weeks ago, is showing on Sky Arts tonight (Friday 25th October). That was quick!!!

  20. SDE #31 could be Kraftwerk’s ground-breaking album Autobahn. It celebrates its 50th anniversary and Kraftwerk have created a Dolby Atmos mix at their Kling Klang studio, utilising the original master tapes.

      1. It would be absolute nuts to do Dare and NOT do Love & Dancing. The two were entwined as far as many of us were concerned. Love & Dancing was very useful to this Fifteen year old who found it perfect to annoy his big sister in a way that I hadn’t found since the B-side of Somethin’ Else a year or so previous.

  21. Rhino have released another batch of Quadio’s:
    Foghat – Energised
    The Doobie Bros. – Toulouse Street
    J.Geils Band – Bloodshot
    Jefferson Starship – Dragonfly

  22. Ringo Starr will release a brand-new country music album, “Look Up”, produced and co-written by T Bone Burnett, on January 10, 2025, via the resurrected label Lost Highway Records. This stunning collection features 11 original songs, recorded this year in Nashville and Los Angeles. Just the two physical formats, CD and white vinyl.

  23. Anyone hoping to enjoy the Nik Kershaw MCA Years 40th anniversary box for Christmas is going to be disappointed. Cherry Red have delayed the release date again, now pushed back to 7 Feb 2025. Again due to unspecified manufacturing issues. We can only hope this means scrupulous quality control, and the eventual product will be completely error-free, right?

    1. Maybe it means they’re adding more tracks? They should do – there were still several re-mixes missing, even with the additional of few extra tracks the first time around…

  24. All copies of the recent Pete Townshend 14-CD box :Live in Concert 1985-2001 have a one second silent gap 1:49 seconds into disc 14’s opening track “Sheraton Gibson”

  25. There appears to be a problem with discs 2 & 7 of The Faces BBC box set. So if you have put it aside to listen to when you have the time to (which I do all the time) you should check those two discs right now. The problem is skipping on both tracks.

      1. The only this that will give is the end user, you and me. 
        The music industry has always hicked priced to the detriment of the end user. I was elated at the resurgence of vinyl, however the cost in the UK for vinyl is ridiculous, in my local stores Neil Young / Frank Zappa vinyl LPs are priced on average £60, they are not multi disc, coloured or special released, just a simple one-disc black vinyl pressing. 
        LPs back in the 1980s were on average £3.49 in 2024 the equivalent is £17.76 today. Price drop on all vinyl would be appreciated, a new release should be no more that £20, will it happen? NO

    1. Apparently, turns out the “fall” was cobblers and sales in fact rose by just over 6 percent, year on year. Miscalculation was something to do with the methodology of the US firm Luminate counting units. They have apologised.

  26. On the 6th of December, the Madfish label releases a 19-CD set “Laura Nyro-Hear My Song, The Collection 1966-1995”. Like the large boxed sets that Madfish released by Al Stewart & John Mayall, it is not an absolutely 100% complete works, but it will be complete enough for most people.

    1. I think “enough” is a slanderous understatement for how a 19CD box meets the desires of “most” people. It’s really great to see this kind of ultra-deep dive release appearing for more artists.

    1. If you’re expecting anything like A Secret Wish, brace yourselves for a disappointment. It’s got more in common with 1234. Score: 1–0 to the girls at X-Propaganda.

      1. Actually includes a new version of the song “Vicious Circle” from 1234. The instrumentation clearly ties back to A Secret Wish and while Thunder Bae’s vocals are good in their own right, I cannot help but think that without Claudia Brucken, nothing can make an album sound like Propaganda we all adore. So I agree that xPropaganda with “the girls” plus Stephen Lipson is more evocative of A Secret Wish.

    1. Thanks for that, Alastair. Great article. Warmed my heart to see the love for CDs. Been buying them for 34 years and will continue to do so.

  27. Coldplay – Moon Music was played in Dolby Atmos in a global theatrical listening event, could that be translated to a beautiful (SDE) Blu-ray disc release please ?!

  28. Sony/Japan’s infrequent (2 to 4 albums per year) series of deluxe packaged hybrid SACD discs containing vintage Quadraphonic(4.0 surround) mixes of 1970’s albums continues November 27th. This year’s two releases are “Santana-Borboletta”(the group’s 6th studio album), and Laura Nyro’s 2nd album “Eli and The Thirteenth Confession”. The stereo layer on the Nyro disc includes several bonus tracks.

    1. I’m hoping for a deluxe re-release of Caravanserai, which I consider to be Santana’s finest John Coltrane/Miles Davis influenced hour.

  29. Hi Paul,

    You haven’t commented on the reissue of August 30, 2024 of Brett Anderson – Collected Solo Work (5CD). It’s a new packaging
    Label: Edsel Records – EDSL0208

    Greetings.

  30. A few monnths ago, before the long-postponed release of the Jimi Hendrix “Electric Lady Studios:A Jimi Hendrix Vision” boxed set,iIwas able to purchase the Blu-ray disc by itself. I now have a collectors item. The final,released version of the Blu-ray disc has changed to a different surround sound mix of “Room Full of Mirrors” . The early version of the Blu-Ray disc has a mix with the awkward re-recorded drumming by Mitch Mitchell (which apparently involved wiping the original Buddy Miles drumming from the miltitrack tape). The final, released version of the Blu-Ray disc has a surround sound mix featuring the original Buddy Miles drummong, though this surround sound mix was likely produced by upmixing from the stereo mix originally heard on the posthumously released “Rainbow Bridge” album.

  31. As an indication of the care and intelligence shown for black Friday record store day UK… The Beatles release is…
    “Can I Hold Your Hand”!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Unbelievable ^sigh^

  32. There was a lot of criticism of of the first Seal album deluxe box, with one being not having Blu-ray with the Atmos mix that was only available made via by lossy streaming. I just found out that Rhino have released a Blu-ray with Dolby Atmos (TrueHD 7.1), 5.1 (DTS-HD MA 5.1), And Hi-Res Stereo (DTS-HD MA) mixes of the album by Trevor Horn. Of course, it’s in a Blu-ray case not a 3 fold digisleeve like the Second Seal 2CD+Blu-ray, but as least it’s available.

      1. Yes, these Rhino blu-rays can be a bit stingy in terms of content. The Black Sabbath Live Evil disc could/should included both the original stereo mix and the 40th anniversary remix.

  33. Does anyone know anything about the Frankie Pleasuredome Atmos mix? Is there a pre xmas release coming? Massive box set or just released to Apple music? What’s happening? There’s so much good stuff coming out in time for Christmas and I only have so much money to spend. Need to know what I can and cant afford to pre order. Also I’m a 60 yo man with the patience of a 15 yo with regard to this possible release. I am aware of this.

    1. The Estate announce that The Purple Rain celebrations will cover 2024 and 2025, with the June 2025 Paisley Park event focusing on Purple Rain. So, looks like we might have to wait another 6-9 months before we get the full picture of their intentions …

  34. Out last week:
    Reissue of 10,000 Maniacs Unplugged on CD or 2-LP with the three tracks with David Byrne tacked on.
    Why hasn’t this ever been released on DVD….?

  35. US reader here. Received my Lament bundle yesterday. Haven’t listened to any of it yet (and ripping in progress as I write), but I must say the slipcase is absolutely stunning. Excellent work, Chrysalis.

  36. For those who bemoaned the lack of complete BBC sessions included *not* in the Super Deluxe (ha!) of the first Roxy Music album, Re-make, Remodel, is a new 2CD set which includes all the 1972 BBC recordings (sessions, live) plus their German TV performance from ’73. So basically, all the Eno-period recordings. And the best bit? It’s only £9.99 on the Burning Shed site (compared to over £17 on Amazon). Get in!

  37. October 25th, Universal’s “EMI” label will release a 6-CD + 1-L.P. + hardback book edition of Queen’s 1973 debut album, now re-titled “Queen 1” No word on whether Disney’s “Hollywood” label (which has the North American rights) will release a North American edition.

    1. “Queen 1” ha ha they’re having a laugh. It is hard to tell from the uDiscover description how much new stuff there is but despite a remix there does not seem to be a 5.1 or Atmos Blu-Ray – perhaps that will be an additional product, like the Ziggy Atmos. I already have Mad the Swine and De Lane Lea demos on the2CD version as well as the BBC sessions and the Live at the Rainbow March 74, so there are only going to be a handful of tracks I don’t already have. I will be interested to see how the remix sounds so I may get the album (yet again). I had also hoped that record companies had realised that the CD/LP box format pleases almost no one, but apparently not.
      So, if this had been a CD/Blu-ray set I’d have been up for it, but unless there are formats as yet unmentioned, it looks as though I’ll be passing, which is a shame as a full set of 70s Queen boxes on the shelf would look pretty fine!

      1. I am usually always pleased with having an LP in the SDE, AFG but not this time. Pressing a load of Ai tricked, auto tuned, re-imagined, re-titled, re-sequenced, digital whizz-bangery onto a lump of vinyl is a waste of everyone’s time.

  38. New “analogue path” masters of six USA Beatles albums are on their way (somethings to ask Santa for no doubt).
    MASTERING NOTES
    These albums were cut for vinyl from the original master tapes using a completely analog signal path and with constant reference to first generation pressings of the original albums. They were made using a Studer A80 master recorder with analog preview & program paths, and an Neumann VMS70 cutting lathe originally installed in Capitol Studios in 1971. This specific all-analog cutting technique allows faithful representation of the full musical range and dynamics present on the original tapes.

    1. I wish they would release the Beatles US Capitol ‘Dex Dexter mastered’ albums again. I got Volume 1 years ago but missed out on Volume 2. I was never a fan of the long box slip-case that was used for Vol 1. Package them all together in one box similar to the Stereo/Mono and US Albums boxes. Those were superb. They should be available seeing as these were the records that millions of American fans knew The Beatles through in the 1960s.

  39. A bit of nostalgia for old baby boomer hippies (Of which I’m one): On Oct.25th, Atlantic Records releases “Crosby,Stills,Nash & Young-Live at Fillmore East 1969”, a 17-track compilation, mixed and compiled by Neil Young and Stephen Stills at Sunset Sound. The vinyl release will featureb a purely analog mastering chain (For you Audiophiles out there). Groovy!

  40. Hi Paul, I appreciate you have to ‘stop the bots’ and equally I may well be visually challenged, but I had to go through about 10 pages of cars, bicycles, stairs, and road signs before it let me sign in today. Is there there a shortcut route? Cheers.

    1. Weird. All I ever have to do is click the ‘I am not a robot button’. Anyway sorry, I know these are annoying but sadly very necessary…

    2. I go through the same rigmarole every time l delete my browser history or clear my cookie cache. The ‘l am not a robot’ button works by reading your history, apparently.

  41. Hey, do you think there’s any chance that there will be a Blu-ray Audio only release of The Alan Parsons Project Pyramid album? I know that the box set just came out, but it’s too pricey for me to touch, much as I love that album. I know that other APP releases have received box set treatment and then afterward the Blu-ray audio. I would definitely be in if there is one released.

  42. On November 15th,Cherry Red’s “Strawberry” label will release a 5-CD boxed set by German/French record producer/arranger/songwriter Mark Wirtz (1943-2020) titled “Dream Dream Dream:The Anthology”, and people who order it from the Cherry Red site will (on the release date) receive a link to download an additional 35 songs. Wirtz was best known as the producer of 1960’s psychedelic pop group “Tomorrow”(known for the song “My White Bicycle”) and as the composer of the never-completed “A Teenage Opera”(4 songs were recorded, but the 4th song was never released)

  43. Two new reissues available for preorder that might be worth noting:

    Marillion This Strange Engine super deluxe due out 24/11 according to jpc.de
    Toyah Love is the Law deluxe due out 8/11 from Cherry Red

  44. Rhino will release these Atmos on Blu-Ray titles :

    Black Sabbath – Live EvilSeal – SealCarly Simon – No SecretsChicago – Chicago IX: Chicago’s Greatest Hits, ’69-’74https://store.rhino.com/en/rhino-store/special-edition-shops/atmos/

  45. For King Crimson fans, the Red 50th anniversary 2CD/2BR mini-box with lots of live material drops Oct. 6. The Japanese version includes SHM-CDs, an outer jacket, art cards and an extra book covering the 1974 tour. Order from CDJapan soon, and they toss in a sticker of the cover. But it doesn’t appear until Oct. 23.

  46. Perhaps of interest only to a few, but this year is the 40th anniversary of the (very good) Robin of Sherwood TV series that aired on ITV from. 1984-86. As well as a one-off show by Clannad at the Royal Albert Hall to showcase their original soundtrack album in full, a 40th Anniversary edition ‘Legend + Legend Extended’ is scheduled for late October. It has a remaster of the album plus a bonus 2nd CD (or 2nd LP) of 11 unreleased bonus tracks (some, I think, from the additional tracks they went and created for Season 3 that didn’t see commercial release). A fairly simple presentation (there’s no ‘Forest Green Vinyl’ limited editions going on here!) – 2CD in a six-panel card sleeve and 2 x 140gm black vinyl LPs in what looks like a wide spine sleeve, but the music was terrific – really looking forward to this one.

  47. Question about Amazon pre-orders: is anyone suffering from the delay on all pre-orders. If I pre-order any album on Amazon, it never arrives on the Friday, but always the following Tuesday. The albums are always available on the Friday of release, delivery next day with Prime, so it seems odd that pre-orders get delayed this way? I live in South West London, so distribution shouldn’t be an issue.
    Seems odd that those who pre-order get to the back of the queue on delivery!

    1. I wouldn’t say having to wait 3-4 days really constitutes “suffering”?
      Then again, I’m old enough to remember when every mail order came with the standard caveat “please allow 28 days for delivery”.

  48. More Hawkwind news. Hot on the heels of the fabulous box set for Xin Search of Space, November finds Hawkwind’s “Doremi Fasol Latido” rereleased as a 2-CD set with original and new stereo remixes by Stephen W. Tayler (plus bonus tracks).Also there is a 2CD Bluray 5.1 box

    1. Actually it is a 3 CD 2 Blu-Ray as they have added a remix of the Greasy Truckers CD and an second 5.1 Blu-Ray of the same concert (that I already have twice). This has bumped the price up from £55 2CD/1BD for In Search of Space to £85 3CD/2BD for this so I am expecting any reissue of the first or fourth albums to be prohibitive!

  49. Any Jeff Lynne fans on here seen any footage from the Over and Out tour.
    I can’t believe the change in Jeff since I saw him at Wembley in 2017.
    His appearance is very worrying, he struggles to walk, his guitar playing was all over the place, he missed his cues on his vocals and at the end of the concert had to helped from the stage.
    I hope this is a temporary illness but he did not look well at all and really should not have been on stage.

    1. He’s now 76 years old. I noticed on the Wembley or Bust! Blu-ray that he had slowed down physically and is voice lacked the range is had before. Given that was 7 years ago, maybe he’s aging faster than others and this is the reason why this is his last tour.

  50. Two John & Yoko documentaries are about to appear… One To One, focussed around the last full-length concert in 1972. Apparently in unrecognisable quality to the 1980s vhs and with sound remixed by Sean. The other, Daytime Revolution, relates to the week in 1972 when J&Y were week-long guests on the Mike Douglas Show, the most-watched daytime tv chat show at the time. Whether this includes the full footage – which has previously been released on dvd – or not is unclear. This doc opens in USA cinemas on Lennon’s birthday.

  51. Demon are reissuing Brett Anderson’s, 5 CD ‘Collected Solo Work’ set, on the 30th August.
    Instead of the original casebook packaging from 2017; this time it’s in ‘ 7″ deluxe packaging ‘.
    It’s been unavailable for a while now, so a chance for anyone who missed out.
    No DVD this time, but as that was only an interview, it’s not a big loss.

  52. New album from KIM WILDE, called “Closer”.
    The album will be available on the 31st of January 2025 on CD, black vinyl, and a special limited edition colour Vinyl.
    Tracklist :
    1 Midnight Train
    2 Scorpio
    3 Trail Of Destruction
    4 Sorrow Replaced (Feat. Midge Ure)
    5 Lighthouse
    6 Love Is Love
    7 Rocket To The Moon
    8 Hourglass Human (Feat. Scarlett Wilde)
    9 Stones And Bones
    10 Savasana

  53. The Esoteric label have issued an excellent series of boxed sets by Bill Nelson’s groups “Be Bop Deluxe” and “Red Noise”, all with new stereo & 5.1 surround mixes by Stephen W. Tayler. In November, Esoteric will begin exploring Bill’s post-EMI years with a 3-CD + 1-Blu-Ray Audio release of the album “Quit Dreaming and Get On The Beam”, originally released by the Mercury label. Again, Stephen W. Tayler has remixed for stereo and 5.1 surround.

  54. Next Friday, U2 will release vinyl and CD-editions of the ZOO TV Live in Dublin EP, featuring five songs (Zoo Station; Mysterious Ways; Tryin’ To Throw Your Arms Around The World; Stay (Faraway, So Close!); Love Is Blindness). Incomprehensible that they will not release the entire show, which is widely available as a bootleg and sounds very good – it was aired on the radio at the time AFAIK.

    Anyway: a teaser track (Mysterious Ways) is already streaming and it’s in Atmos (at least on Apple Music here in the Netherlands), which seems to suggest that the whole EP will be streaming in Atmos next week, which is a nice-ish surprise.

    Prices for the physical media are extortionate: €18 for the CD and €35 for the Vinyl. Remember: 5 songs only!
    And of course, in Japan they will release a version with an extra track (The Fly).

  55. Someone made a recent comment about Queen Japanese CDs he went on to say newer titles will be released soon you can pre order?could someone tell how you pre order these ?

  56. Sweet children Green Day are celebrating their major hit album American Idiot for its 20th anniversary this autumn. Released on October 25, the 8LP / 6CD set includes unreleased demos, B-sides, live versions and bonus songs. The LP version comes with an “exclusive free poster” (wow) on certain websites but it’s not particularly cheap. There are alternate editions including a one-step vinyl edition and a “color” LP.

  57. NENA Remastered & Selected Works 2-Disc

    “Nena and BMG are celebrating the release of their debut album a special anniversary edition. All original titles have been lovingly remastered from the original tapes to ensure excellent sound quality and to make the spirit of that time true to the original. In addition to the remastered NENA album, the anniversary edition contains a second long player with further unreleased material: In addition to AMOUR CANDIDE, a version of the song “Nur Geträumt” that appeared in the rock n roll archives and was sung in French in 1983, fans can look forward to spectacularly energetic and previously unheard live tracks from Nena’s concerts in 1984, as well as rare B-sides.

    This comprehensive and stylishly compiled anniversary edition gives old and new fans the opportunity to rediscover the magic of this legendary album.”

    Disc 1
    1. Kino
    2. Indianer
    3. Vollmond
    4. Nur geträumt
    5. Tanz auf dem Vulkan
    6. 99 Luftballons
    7. Zaubertrick
    8. Einmal ist keinmal
    9. Leuchtturm
    10. Ich bleib’ im Bett
    11. Noch einmal
    12. Satellitenstadt

    Disc 2
    1. Kino (Live in Berlin 1984)
    2. Nur Geträumt (Live in Berlin 1984)
    3. Zaubertrick (Live in Berlin 1984)
    4. Ganz oben
    5. Just a dream
    6. Amour Candide
    7. Noch einmal (Live in Köln 1985)
    8. Vollmond (Live in Offenbach 1984)
    9. Ganz oben (Live in Köln 1985)
    10. Satelitenstadt (Live in Berlin 1984)

  58. The Queen Japanese mini SHM-CD campaign has so far released all of their live albums, excluding the most recent release of the Montreal show, Innuendo, Hot Spaces, The Miracle , A Kind of Magic and Works. Made in Heaven is pre order. Hopefully we’ll get a release of Queen, Queen II, Sheer Heart Attack, A Night at the Opera, A Day at the Races, News of the World, Jazz, and The Game in this series.

  59. I received my Fish Internal Exile Deluxe Edition yesterday. The 2024 remaster sounds superb. A high recommend from me.
    Sounds like it was recorded yesterday. Only listened to the 5.1 mix so far, very clear, excellent package with a very informative essay from Fish. I say essay, I’ve read shorter books.

    Fish made the decision a while back to only sell D2C and it appears to be working for him financially, but it’s a shame people outside of his social media world will never even know these have been released.

    The 50 quid plus VAT pricing seemed high at first, but then I remembered some of the more expensive items that have been previewed on this site that I have purchased and so bit the bullet. Worth every penny, it’s just a lovely quality package. Feels like quality in your hand.

    I’m now really looking forward to Vigil which according to Canada Post, left the UK yesterday and will arrive ‘soon’.

    Anyhow, check them out if you have any love for Fish’s first two solo albums. https://store.fishmusic.scot/music/
    there’s a separate EU store if you’re buying from within the EU

    (This is not a paid ad, I’m just really happy with the product and it has brought me great joy)

    1. I bought the two 3CD deluxe versions as the Blu-ray versions are far too expensive at more than £120 for both. Yes they sound good but unfortunately there are no liner notes in the 3CD versions and i feel there is far too much live stuff on these that has been released before.

      1. What is a fair price for 3CD , remixed, low production numbers? 20? Free? Fish pays for everything himself as he’s no longer on any label and has no distribution deal… He and his wife actually do the packaging themselves. Sometime in the spring he is shuttering Chocolate Frog.

  60. I know that you’ll squelch this, but there won’t be a Beatles super deluxe boxed set this year. Instead, there will be a streaming release of “The First U.S. Visit” video. I guess it’s useful if you do video streaming and you don’t already own the DVD.

  61. Very pleased with the up & coming surround sound thin Lizzy release,I’m hoping more of seventies music is represented in this solid series of releases.

  62. A 65min version of Wings’ One Hand Clapping is set for cinema release. According to reports, the quality has been improved from the footage released on Band On The Run SDE but still not brilliant due to Litchfield using video as the source media – video not able to be edited so transferred to film, edited, and then transferred back to video (downgrading at every transfer) for the TV companies to consider for transmission – all of which balked at the quality. Footage “may” include the entire Backyard footage or Junior’s Farm. The question of Peggy Sue is still being debated.

    1. Just a thought about “Peggy Sue”… If there was a rights-issue leading to it’s removal, that will no-longer be the case as PM now owns the rights. Problem solved (of course this is all conjecture but, hey, why not).

    2. Interesting comment. If the TV companies don’t consider the quality good enough for transmission, why would it get a cinema release?

  63. Hello, for all prog-rock fans, there is a Pavlovs dogs box set ” Essential recordings 1974-2018″ on RUF Records coming on September 27 (as advertized on JPC.de). It contains the first two albums “Pampered Menial” and “At the sound of the bell” as well as later recordings. Best regards Hans Lindskog

  64. Coming Sept.27,2024 from Rhino, “Chicago-Live at The JFK Center of the Performing Arts, Washington D.C. Sept.16,1971” a 3-CD or 4-L.P. set. This concert is the live debut and preview of several songs that the group would soon enter the studio to record for “Chicago V”, but otherwise, the setlist is similar to the (then) recently released “Chicago Live at Carnegie hall”.

  65. The release of the 3-CD + Blu-Ray and 5-L.P. + Blu-ray boxed set “Electric Lady Studios:A Jimi Hendrix Vision” will finally happen Sept.13. Amazon’s UK & Canadian websites are now accepting preorders again.

  66. A September German language version of “Rolling Stone” magazine will be packaged with a 7″ single which previews two selections from Neil Young’s forthcoming “Archives Vol.3” boxed set. The selections are live versions of “Heart of Gold” & “Comes a Time”. Young has cautioned that the boxed set, which will include CD’s & Blu-Ray discs, will be “Expensive”. I’m O.K. with that.

  67. Hi Paul,

    You may want to let people know that right now, the WHAM! 7″ vinyl Singles Collector’s Box Set is on sale on Amazon USA for 53% off $384.98, for a sale price of $167 USD … I just got mine!

    Thanks for the SDE WHAM! “Fantastic” and “Make It Big” albums!!!

  68. Hi Paul. You should consider compiling more SDE-exclusive CD Maxi singles. Here’s a suggestion: “60-Minutes of Love” to collect all the various versions and mixes of Art of Noise’s Moments in Love. I would play that on repeat all day long!

  69. Dane Donohue finally releases a follow up to his 1978 album, which retrospectively is one of the masterpieces of Yacht Rock. The new album is called LA Rainbow and currently only planned for release in Japan.

  70. Just heard about the passing of John Mayall at 90 years old. Between putting Clapton, Green & Taylor into the spotlight, putting the members of Colosseum together and having a mammoth collection of pornography(!) he was a remarkable man, a giant of the blues scene.

  71. Sad to see the passing of John Mayall, although 90 is a good innings. The box set was a great legacy item – he influenced many over the years. RIP.

  72. Sad to read that Scott Davies is shutting down Rubellan Remasters. It apparently just became too much work to secure permissions from record labels. He produced top-notch remasters of some notable 80s albums. The Visage albums are the best out there.

    Thanks Scott for all your hard work. Rubellan will be missed.

    1. Here, here Derek – well said.
      A sad day indeed. I remember feeling the same way when that wonderful Aussie re-issue label, Raven Records closed it’s doors in 2017. It’s such a shame as these type of small labels are usually run by “music fans” who take care and pride in the music they release….and this is what us fans want!!
      I’ve had the pleasure of owning and listening to some of Rubellan’s past releases on vinyl and CD – most notably Divinyls and Split Enz and the remastering is superb – dynamic yet subtle and clear as a bell. You know that the mastering was done with care and devotion to the music.
      As Derek stated above, Rubellan will be missed and I wish Scott all the best for the future.

      1. I think Split Enz was what just about ended it. It is sad. There aren’t enough people passionate about the music – he certainly is! I am hoping he might reconsider…

        1. What is doubly frustrating (for me) is that while the Rubellan titles up to that point hadn’t really floated my boat, I would have been IN for the Enz …… :(

    2. Was also sad to hear of this. Have enjoyed several of the Rubellan remasters. My favorites being the Oingo Boingo reissues with all of the bonus tracks. Something I didn’t think would ever happen. Also wishing Scott the best.

  73. 4 Jethro Tull CD/DVD represses are on the way… Stand Up, A Passion Play, Heavy Horses and War Child – but they’re not cheap!

  74. In the recent 4-CD + Blu-Ray audio set of “Yes-Fragile”, there is one track(CD 4,track 4) which doesn’t sound like “Yes”…because it isn’t.
    The recording, which Rhino records found on a “Yes” session reel, is actually by singer/songwriter Terry Reid. Rhino calls it “The Dean”, though it is actually an echo-ey, mostly instrumental rehearsal of Reid’s song “Sybyla”. A month before engineer/co-producer Eddie Offord started work on “Fragile”, he was recording an album for Terry Reid, and Offord decided to re-use a tape reel from the Reid sessions. When Offord recorded “Fragile”, the “Yes” recordings didn’t entirely erase Reid’s music. Rhino has already deleted this non-Yes track from streaming and (Official) download versions of the “Fragile” boxed set.

    1. Reminiscent of the “Unknown Ballad” on the deluxe of ELP’s Tarkus which turned out not to be by them. The song actually was the first professional recording of Spontaneous Combustion, “Just A Dream”, arranged and performed by Spontaneous Combustion and producer Greg Lake, with music composed by Spontaneous Combustion’s guitarist-lead singer Gary Margetts and lyrics written by his friend Mike Rowe. The new song, a demo arranged and recorded in about two hours, was not developed further for release by Spontaneous Combustion. Producer Greg had not asked recording engineer Eddie Offord to change to a different tape, and the song was recorded onto the ELP “Tarkus” tape in the recorder, leading to the mix-up forty-one years later.

  75. Talk Talk announcement due on 18th this week. Looks like it’ll be a 40th anniversary edition of “It’s my life”. A box set would be awesome, but I’m thinking just a coloured LP, similar to what they did with “The Party’s Over” a couple of years ago.

  76. Shed Seven have a limited 2CD edition of their upcoming greatest hits rework album, Liquid Gold, on their website (comes with the album and a live CD that hasn’t been recorded yet). You have to work to find the pre-order, though – the link is only available on their social media sites.

    1. Great. I waited decades for a re-press then have to buy it twice in 12 months. (the first time it was in the collection 2 box) Yeah, l know they’re not forcing me to buy it, BUT THEY ARE.

    1. Thanks for the info Dynaudio.
      Here are the details from CD Japan:
      “Celebrating the 40th anniversary of Bruce Springsteen’s “Born In The U.S.A.” A miraculous original project in Japan releasing a set of four discs, consisting of the original album with 2014 remastering and three bonus discs.

      The bonus CDs contain 29 live tracks from the full live performance at the NJ Giants Stadium on August 22, 1985, a few months after his first show in Japan. The setlist is close to that of the April 1985 show in Japan, and although it has been available on DL and CDR in the “Live Bruce Springsteen” Official Live Archive Series, this is the first time in the world that it has been officially released on CD.

      Features 7-inch cardboard sleeve packaging with a photo book and a booklet with rare episodes regarding his first visit to Japan. Features the high-fidelity Blu-spec CD2 format.”

  77. On September 27th, Cherry Red’s “Esoteric” label releases a 9-CD set “Vanilla Fudge-Where is My Mind:The ATCO Recordings 1967-1969”. It contains the group’s 5 1960’s albums, with their first two albums(“Vanilla Fudge” & “The Beat Goes On”) presented in both their mono & stereo mixes. For the mono mix of “The Beat Goes On”, it is the CD debut. Some UK single edits make their CD debut. All non-L.P. singles and all of the live and studio vault tracks from Rhino Handmade’s 2010 mail order 4-CD set “Box of Fudge” also appear in this set. The only unanswered questions are: will the group’s non-L.P. B-side cover of Bacharach/David’s “The Look of love” be the mono mix, or the rare stereo mix(which was offered once by the Repertoire label), and, in presenting the group’s 5th album “Rock & Roll”, whether “The Windmills of Your Mind” & “Street Walking Woman” will be the standard versions or the alternate versions heard on the “Sundazed” label CD of the album. For the record, my original L.P. and 8-track cartridge releases of “Rock & Roll”(circa 1969-70) contained the standard versions. As you’re starting to realise, “Where Is My Mind” is a highly thorough collection; a one stop place to get very nearly the group’s entire 1960’s output.

  78. On the 4th attempted release date, the Repertoire UK label finally released the 4-CD set (and 48Khz/24-bit download) “The Yardbirds-The Ultimate Live at The BBC”. Despite containing 32 previously unreleased selections and many upgraded sources, it is still only two-thirds of the group’s BBC recordings. The remaining sessions no longer exist. One of the people involved in this collection explained, that when the group appeared on daytime radio shows, it was much less likely that someone at home would be recording. This is why there are no Yardbirds BBC recordings with Eric Clapton. The group appeared on BBC Radio three times during Clapton’s tenure.

    1. So in 2016 Repertoire released a 2CD set Live at the BBC.
      In 2017 Repertoire released an upgraded 2CD set Live at the BBC.
      In 2019 Repertoire released a 3CD set Live at the BBC Revisited.
      In 2024 Repertoire are now releasing a 4CD set Ultimate Live at the BBC, that’s progress I guess!

  79. Happy Birthday, George Michael! Your music and spirit continue to inspire and uplift us all. Thank you for sharing your incredible talent and heart with the world. We celebrate you today and always.

  80. The August Issue of Uncut contains a sampler cd for Mind Games.
    9 tracks (which is nice) and comprise:
    Mind Games (Evolution documentary)I’m The Greatest (Ultimate Mix)Aisumasen (I’m Sorry (Ultimate Mix)You Are Here (Out-Take, Take 5)Tight A$ (Raw Studio Mix)Bring On The Lucie (Freeda Peeple)(Elemental Mix)You Are Here (Elements Mix)Out The Blue (Elemental Mix)Meat City (Evolution Documentary)Perhaps if you are not convinced by the SDE but want more than the 1cd – this is a great alternative.

  81. I suppose this could be seen in terms of the CD vs vinyl ‘war’… I’ve just read an article on the BBC, that clever people working on reducing the electricity used to power mainframe computers and at the same time make them faster are working on a move away from ‘digital’ working, to ‘analogue’ (so that it works like a human brain).

  82. John & Yoko – Give Peace A Chance / Remember Love – 50×12″ acetates have been made as gifts for charities “electronically signed” by Yoko, which are to be auctioned.

  83. Fish has announced SDE’s of his first two solo albums. Each album gets a 4CD+BR release with Dolby Atmos mixes. UK customers can order already. EU customers are advised to wait until the EU shop goes online, which should be Friday 14 June.

    1. Bit on the pricey side, unfortunately. £60 per box (if you’re in the UK and have to pay the VAT).

      So not something for the casual listener.

      1. I wouldn’t imagine they will be as he stopped selling his stuff on Amazon. I agree these are far too expensive and why does he persist in advertising the prices as excluding VAT then you go to the checkout and they are much more expensive ?

  84. I notice the forthcoming Ultravox ‘Lament’ superdeluxe boxset is reviewed in this month’s Record Collector. Anyone have any word on an actual release date yet?

  85. A very busy August release schedule from the Cherry Red group of labels. three MCA Kim Wilde albums receive the Deluxe treatment: “Love Moves”(2-CD + DVD),”Love is”(3-CD + DVD) and “Now and Forever'(3-CD + DVD). Hawkwind’s “In Search of Space” will be released as a 2-CD + Blu-Ray set with new 5.1 surround and stereo remixes by Stephen W. Tayler. and the Austrailian beat group The Twilights will be compiled as a 3-CD set “Twilights Time:The Complete 60’s Recordings” Singer Glenn Shorrock went on to be a founding member of Little River Band, while member Terry Britten went on to write hits for Tina Turner and Cliff Richard.

  86. Deuce is FINALLY On The Loose Again!

    For those of you who like that sort of thing (and who doesn’t)…..first-ever FOUR DISC expanded edition of Deuce’s classic 1995 album “On The Loose” being released this August…..

    https://www.cherryred.co.uk/deuce-on-the-loose-4cd-expanded-edition

    Also on vinyl for the first time

    https://www.cherryred.co.uk/deuce-on-the-loose-dayglo-lime-green-vinyl-edition

    If you’re a fan of the great ’90s dance music produced by Mixmasters Phil Harding and Ian Curnow, run don’t walk to preorder!!!

    (Also, if you’re a huge fan of cheese, order one of each!)

  87. Sometimes, the cows DO come home…eventually. Today, the 28th of May 2024, 14 months and 11 days after I paid for it,and after 7 release postponements,Rick Wakeman’s 27-CD/5-DVD set “The Prog Years” finally arrived.

  88. For fans of Talk Talk
    In 1984 Tim Pope directed an innovative video, actually 2 versions, for their single Dum Dum Girl. The video was filmed live with live vocals and included at the start the date, time and location.
    It’s very unusual to know specific moment of time in music history other than big events like Live Aid so on Thursday 13th June at 7.02 pm we have an unique opportunity to sing along with Mark, Paul and Lee exactly 40 years to the moment.
    I’ve put a link below….and don’t forget your Treowsers!

    https://youtu.be/2QV7PXg1hLs?si=iO0Ra0qwY7FHbC6h

  89. Just received an email from marillion.com talking about how new merch is available with “This Strange Engine artwork (to mark the upcoming deluxe edition).” No actual mention of the deluxe edition release date though.

  90. I’ve noticed on the Rhino US store that they have released Blu-ray audio (Atmos) discs of Fleetwood Mac – Rumours, The Doors – Best of The Doors,Alanis Morissette – Jagged Little Pill & Hootie & The Blowfish – Cracked Rear View. Does anyone know if these will receive a worldwide release or will they stay D2C?

    1. So far, the Quadio blurays that Rhino released have not been officially released in Europe but over time they have become available on Amazon in Europe (much more expensive though). The same could be true for the Atmos releases.

      1. Thanks Josh. I purchased some of the Quadio blu-rays from Import CDs & Warner Music Australia. I’ve just found out that Warner Music Australia have listed the above Atmos Blu-rays albeit more expensive at AUD $50 (about USD $32) compared with Rhino’s USD $24.98. (I can never work out their pricing strategy as Warner Australia are cheaper for the Quadio Blu-rays than Rhino in the US??)

        1. Sorry, I did not realise you are in Australia, as your name is very Dutch. At least you can now buy them in Australia without the import duties. I ordered a bundle of four Quadios (special price: $80 for four), but then Rhino sent them to me in THREE different shipments which meant that I had to pay three €6 service fees for handling customs. So that was a bit of a bummer. I would like the Doors Atmos bluray as well as the Joni Mitchell box set and am considering buying them together, but fear that Rhino will again fail to send them all in one package.

          1. Hi Josh – yes, a very Dutch name but born in Oz. That’s a bummer about the separate deliveries and service fees.
            We’re quite fortunate here in Australia as far as import duties are concerned. Generally most products under $1000 are exempt which is great for music purchases and we don’t have mail/customs service fees.
            We do however have to pay GST (VAT) of 10% but the onus is on the seller to collect that, not the receiver (Go figure!). Large retailers such as eBay, Alliance Entertainment and Amazon(s) charge me GST but the smaller online retailers such as Rarewaves, iMusic and JPC don’t, even though their website T&C’s states they do.
            It’s a complicated world!!!!

    2. If anyone in the UK would like to purchase these, the delivery cost is $15.99 if you purchase one of them or all four blu-ray discs. With the exchange rate if you purchase all four, it averages out to roughly the same price as an SDE blu-ray.

      1. Be warned, though, that Rhino are well known for sending out the discs in multiple separate shipments (widely discussed problem on quaudrophonicquad.com). And because they do not deal with VAT, UK postal services will charge you for the VAT. If postal services in the UK charge a service fee on top of that, they will likely do that separately for each package and as a consequence you might have to pay this service fee multiple times, even if you ordered them all at once. And there is no way to get through to Rhino HQ and ask them sent your order in one batch.

  91. Just seen the stones voodo lounge coloured vinyl,question? How would you be able to order the limited white vinyl as well?looking on Amazon its just the double vinyl…

  92. Good afternoon from Lincoln, California (USA). I just received my pre-order for the Keane “hopes and Fears” SDE Surround Series Blu-ray. My only question, was it supposed to come without a booklet???

      1. Thanks for your reply, Paul. Not quite sure what the upside would be to NOT including a booklet (money/production costs??) as I can’t imagine that the artist(s)/producer(s)/engineers(s) involved wouldn’t want to at least include the booklet that came with the original and subsequent releases (2004 SACD, for example) that contained lyrics, pictures and credits. Thoughts…

          1. Fair enough. I can only imagine your disappointment as I know that you put much effort, time and love into each and every one of the SDE releases. Thank you for helping to keep physical product in the front minds of the music/record exec’s and your continued championing of all things immersive/Atmos. Cheers!

    1. As per the other replies in this thread, it seems to be available from A24 in the USA only. There does seem to be a DVD/Bluray set forthcoming in European outlets later in the year (i.e. already listed on JPC), but no 4K and possibly no Atmos on that one either.

  93. Is there any news of a Pretenders – Learning To Crawl 40th anniversary deluxe release to match the previous S/T & Pretenders II 3CD 40th’s? I see new vinyl releases coming up next week, but I’m not finding anything about any other formats.

  94. Cherry Red (via their Lemon imprint) have announced a John Miles box-set covering the period 83-93.

    https://www.cherryred.co.uk/john-miles-the-albums-1983-93-3cd-box-set

    Why they couldn’t have expanded the timeframe to include Miles High (1981) is beyond me.

    First time on CD for Play On (1983).

    Hopefully the box-set will match the format of the Caroline set from 2017, which covered the Decca Years (although even if it does, the fact that they aren’t including Miles High in this new box means that that album will sit between the two boxes on my shelf. Grrrr……)

    Hopefully they’ll also be working from the master tapes rather than vinyl rips (although given that their Zaragon CD from several years ago is once of the crackliest CDs I’ve ever owned I remain extremely cautious regarding this).

  95. Received my Talking Heads – Stop Making Sense 4k today from A24. It is a very nice oversized package (9.25″ x 6″; 23.5 cm x 16 cm) with a hard-back book with a disc holder that comes in a book-bound hard slipcase. 4k disc is translucent (never seen that before). Now I see why it was expensive. Was shipped in a thick cardboard box. Deserves an unboxing video for sure. Here is a pic…

    1. I gave in and ordered as well…
      In the meantime, A BR/DVD is turning up in European stores, like JPC, for €20. Obviously no 4K and apparently no Atmos either.

    2. Not music related but wanted to call out that the A24 shop also has a 4k copy of Darren Aronofsky’s π (1998) which came out this March and is currently the only 4k release of that movie. Wasn’t even aware this had been released. Some cool (but expensive) items there.

  96. ‘The Sound of Vinyl’ have limited signed copies of the Gary Numan autobiography ‘(R)evoluton’ in paperback – £10.99 plus shipping

  97. Just FYI the SDE IOSS-certificate seems to be working 100% again – the last two SDE-shipments were delivered directly to my home address in Finland without the need for me to declare anything or fill in any forms.

  98. The new Bowie box set “Rock N’ Roll Star!” has been announced for 14th June release. Lady Stardust take 1 alt. version is available for streaming now.

        1. You gave two bits of information in your comment, the first of which was that “The new Bowie box set “Rock N’ Roll Star!” has been announced for 14th June release”. I’m simply pointing out that this was posted on SDE a couple of months back, in case you were not aware. Thanks for informing about the streaming thing though :)

  99. Morning all.I’ve received my two disc 4k package this AM of Queen rock Montreal disc one plays but it wouldn’t get the menus up ? After a couple of time of taking out & back in the Sony uhd player it works fine..the second has the same problem BUT it just will not play the menus!I would be grateful if anybody could let me know if they are having any difficulties..Ash.

    1. Just tested my 4k copy. Menus loaded fine for both discs. Have a US Sony UHD player from ~5 yrs ago. I did notice a bit of delay for disc 2 when selecting tracks for the Montreal concert but it worked.

    2. QUEEN ROCK MONTREAL 4K UHD ATMOS PLAYBACK ISSUES
      So as the title says , is anyone else experiencing playback issues? I have, (I can’t even play disc 1, disc 2 the menu is incomplete) and many have as well if you go by what is being reported on this Blu-ray aficionado forum:
      https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?p=22113356 and more locally in the item feedback on the amazon.co.uk web site.
      It’s not player-dependent as it has occurred with Sony’s, XBOX, and Panasonic players. And it is not related to the incorrectly reported region lock.
      Contact Mercury Studios about your playback issues. The more emails they get about these manufacturing/production problems with the discs, the quicker they’ll issue a recall of all the discs on the shelves and correct the defects. This is their email: [email protected]

  100. Received my Wham! x2, Paul Y, and Knopfler blu rays in the past week or so. Went to play them only to discover my blu ray player had bit the dust. Fortunately, I have a pretty old backup, (although my kids will have to make due without it for the time being.)

    I went to research new, quality blu ray players only to discover that most players, or at least the ones I can afford, no longer have RCA/component outputs. My 20 year old receiver is still working great, but obviously has no HDMI inputs based on its age. I’ve looked at HDMI to RCA converters, but they don’t get great reviews. Does anybody have any suggestions for me? Hoping to get some help from anybody else who has been in my predicament.

    1. I recently had a problem playing the Prince – Diamonds And Pearls BD on my older Denon AV amp. I found this worked though, BD player to TV with HDMI, then optical out of the TV to the AV amp. Check out your TV instructions because some will let you switch off the screen while still leaving it powered up.

    2. I’ve seen some reasonably good used blu ray players on FB Marketplace that are inexpensive. Even snagged a 4K model. Does your receiver have digital coax inputs? That usually works for me, even though the signal might be downsampled some.

    3. Does your receiver not have optical or coaxical digital inputs? Most BR-players still have this connectivity. And otherwise I would indeed advice to simply shop online for a used BR player. Or you could of course shop for a used receiver with HDMI connectivity as well.

      1. My receiver only has RCA inputs, so all of the suggestions above wouldn’t have worked. (Except for the used BR player.) But for less than $200, I broke down and purchased a new receiver which has multi-format inputs, so the issue is resolved. But I absolutely HATE that my working 20 year old receiver is going to the dustbin even though it works and sounds awesome. Screw you, built-in obsolescence.

        1. I’d say it’s less built-in obsolescence, and more “technology marches on”. I think the super-simple, nearly ubiquitous HDMI cable is part of the reason immersive audio is on the rise. No more messing around with a bazillion RCA cables between components. blu-ray players are already forced into a race to the bottom, with the mass move to streaming. It’s unaffordable to include unpopular options like RCA surround outputs. Also, having physical analog outputs ties the player to specific speaker configurations.
          With the minuscule size of my current blu-ray players, there’s no room for a mess of RCA jacks on the backplane!

          1. Point taken, but in my search for new components, I found that RCA jacks are still common among very cheap, “no-name” blu ray players, so I’m not so sure that cost is a true issue. I guess, like my older receiver, I’m a dinosaur!

  101. There had been rumours that Jack Bruce’s 1970’s Polydor albums would receive the super deluxe treatment, and so they will. Bruce’s first and most popular album “Songs for a Tailor” will be released as a 2-CD + 2-Blu-ray set by the Esoteric label on July 26th. Alternate takes,demos,Stephen W.Taylor remixes(Stereo & 5.1 surround) and a 1970 documentary film “Rope Ladder to The Moon” will be included. Recently announced super deluxe sets from Esoteric have been getting more expensive, but this may be neccessary for remixed releases of 1970’s archival material to be feasable.

  102. Terrible to hear of the passing of both Richard Tandy and Duane Eddy. Both instrumentalists who brought something unique to to their chosen oeuvre, and both great losses.

    1. Without keyboardist Richard Tandy, orchestrator Louis Clark and high harmony singer Kelly Groucutt, the 1970’s Electric Light Orchesra sound can never be created again.

    2. I just stumbled on the remembrance on ELO’s channel. I only had Out of the Blue, but that was enough to confirm his incredible talent.

  103. Hi Paul – I wonder if you’ve considered offering a bundle plan on your SDEs, beyond the likes of the two Wham discs or the Luther/Dylan offer?

    Something along the lines of any one disc is £23, any two discs £21 each, any three £20 etc. (Maybe bottom out at £19 per title if ordering a lot together?)

    I ask because while I’m curious about the Luther SDE, I’m not really interested in the bundle you have available with the Dylan – because I already have that one from the first time around :/

    Anyway, thanks for your time :)

  104. Hi Paul, What’s the status about the issue between the Irish Tax Authority and your IOSS provider. Is it already solved or must we wait a little longer for the Wham, Pet Shop Boys, (Keane) and Luther Vandross Blu-ray’s ?

    1. The status is that we have told it has been solved, but we’ve sent a few ‘test’ packages on Friday to validate this. So once we know that they have got through without any hassle we will resume EU shipping. Realistically the earliest will be Wed/Thursday next week. Apologies, but better to wait a tiny bit longer than to risk all the hassle of problems with customs etc.

      1. Hi,
        I received the Paul Young order without any problems but have got a VAT bill for the Mark Knopfler. I’ve emailed them to query this but am still waiting for a reply. I’m in Ireland (ROI)

          1. The Wham and Luther Vandross Blu-rays arrived smoothly today without any IOSS issues.
            Thank you very much Paul, Anne and Lauren for the Great service, I’m very happy with them.
            Very curious what #23 will be in the ongoing SDE Surround series.

      2. Thanks Paul for updating us per email and here.
        The tracking of my Knopfler BD package is not moving since 17April so it is getting more and more likely to return to sender.
        This seems to be a wider issue with EU customs as Rarewaves reported similar to me today at request. I am waiting there for four weeks already for several items and they also stated it appears to be a technical issue at EU customs as the IOSS numbers are shown as valid within the Irish tax authority portal.

    2. I received three shipments with two BR’s each last week without any additional fees. In the Netherlands. So all seems well again. Must have been a great frustration for SDE what with a lot of stuff that had to be sent out.

      1. It was! I want to thank everyone for their patience and understanding on this and I’m aware we still have to re-ship some Mark Knopflers to Germany. This is being sorted out!

    1. Johnny Cash – Songwriter

      LP & CD
      LP Black vinyl, Clear vinyl AMAZON, Black&White Splatter vinyl HMV, Smokey vinyl INDIE, Black&White vinyl INDIE

      Johnny Cash recorded an album’s worth of unreleased, self-penned songs in 1993 ahead of him signing with American Records and his releases with Rick Rubin that re-established himself as one of world’s best songwriters to a new generation of fans. Songwriter’s 11 songs have been updated by his son John Carter and longtime producer David Ferguson.

      CD/DIGITAL
      1. Hello Out There
      2. Spotlight
      3. Drive On
      4. I Love You Tonite
      5. Have You Ever Been to Little Rock?
      6. Well Alright
      7. She Sang Sweet Baby James
      8. Poor Valley Girl
      9. Soldier Boy
      10.Sing It Pretty Sue
      11. Like A Soldier
       
      2CD
      I Walk The Line (1988 Version)The Night Hank Williams Came To Town (with Waylon Jennings)Sixteen TonsLong Black Veil (1988 Version)Cry, Cry, Cry (1988 Version)Guess Things Happen That Way (1988 Version)Get Rhythm (1988 Version)Ring Of Fire (1988 Version)Folsom Prison Blues (1988 Version)Cat’s In The CradleHey PorterWanted Man 
      VINYL
      Side A
      1. Hello Out There
      2. Spotlight
      3. Drive On
      4. I Love You Tonite
      5. Have You Ever Been To Little Rock?
       
      Side B
      1. Well Alright
      2. She Sang Sweet Baby James
      3. Poor Valley Girl
      4. Soldier Boy
      5. Sing It Pretty Sue
      6. Like A Soldier

  105. UK band White Lies have just announced vinyl and 2CD reissues of their second and third albums, ‘Ritual’ and ‘Big TV’. I recommend the warm, melodic ‘Big TV’ in particular. It was probably seen as too poppy and commercial at the time, but it’s a hidden gem.

    1. They are performing both albums live here in my hometown (Utrecht) in a rather small venue in two consecutive nights. Should be great. I got tickets for the Big TV night. :-)

  106. Hi Paul,
    Really enjoying the Mark Knopfler blu-rays. Wondered whether you might be stocking the new Joni Mitchell atmos set just out on Rhino.

    1. At least for now, The Joni Mitchell set is exclusive to Rhino’s website. I tried to post a detailed description of the set, but my post was squelched for no apparent reason.

      1. Not every comment I write gets posted, I’m not sure if it’s a glitch or whether Paul has decided not to post it. Either way, I don’t take it personally and just think there must be a reason.
        As it happens your post about the Joni Mitchell Rhino releases can be viewed below. It’s interesting to create a fresh quad mix to complete the set. Glad they have included the Dolby Atmos mixes that’s been streaming since last year.

        1. It’s neither (glitch or purposeful). From a very brief discussion with Paul it’s just that some posts get missed. It’s the price we pay for having a properly moderated (by one man) site rather than descending into a free for all with post- moderation or no-moderation. I guess it’s the expansion from what was just a small site 11 years ago into a much larger site, shop and to all intents and purposes a record company / producer. The number of SDE exclusives, with signatures and now Blu-Rays. The articles, the unboxing videos, the moderation. Plus Paul has a young family and hyper-tolerant wife (hello Anne!). So yeah, I’ve had some of the most witty and insightful posts ever written missed and he lets my dumb-as-a-brick posts through for some reason. I’m just not sure Paul has enough hours in the day.

          1. I’ve wondered if it might be possible to ‘whitelist’ users of, say, a certain level and above so that posts are published without any manual intervention?

            I understand the need and benefits of a well moderated site but such a feature would surely reduce the pressures on Paul’s time.

            Although, as you say, since the current site has developed from a much smaller operation the functionality might not be available.

  107. 2 disc standard tracks for cd and audio blu ray can you created that please
    Disc 1 Reissues From The 1998 Release
    1.We’ve Got It Goin’ On
    2.Quit Playing Games (With My Heart) (Video Mix)
    3.As Long As You Love Me (Video Version)
    4.Everybody (Backstreet’s Back) (Extended Version)
    5.All I Have To Give
    6.Anywhere For You
    7.Hey Mr Dj (Keep Playin’ This Song)
    8.I’ll Never Break Your Heart
    9.Darlin’
    10. Get Down (You’re The One For Me) (Featuring Fun Factory Smooth T.)
    11. Set Adrift On Memory Bliss (PM Dawn Cover)
    12. If You Want It To Be A Good Girl (Get Yourself A Bad Boy)
    13.Tell Me That I’m Dreaming (1993)
    14.I’ll Never Find Someone Like You (1994)
    15.I Wanna Be With You
    16.Boys Will Be Boys (US Version)
    17.Roll With It (US Version)
    18.Its Christmas Time

    Disc 2 Homecoming Sessions
    1.That’s The Way i Like It
    2.Who Do You Love (Live)
    3.Just To Be Close To You
    4.Howie D. – My Heart Stays With You
    5.AJ Mclean – Laydown Beside Me
    6.Kevin Richardson – Nobody But You (Extended Version)
    7.Brian Littrell – That’s What She Said
    8.Nick Carter – I Need You Tonight
    9.Lets Have A Party
    10. 10,000 Promises
    11.If I Don’t Have You
    12. Missing You
    13.Like A Child
    14.If You Stay
    15.All I Have To Give Part 2
    Standard Blu ray 4k music videos and regular dvd or original Blu ray
    we’ve got it goin on (1995)
    anywhere for you (1996)
    get down (1996)
    quit Playing games with my heart (1997)
    as long as you love me (1997)
    everybody backstreets back (extended version) (1998)
    all i have to give (us version) (1998)
    I’ll never break your heart (1998)
    bonus video
    ill never break your heart (Snow Version) (1995)
    anywhere for you (Spanish Version) (1996)
    everybody backstreets back (uk Version) (1997)
    all I have to give (UK Version) (1998)
    I’ll never break your heart (Spanish version)
    exclusive on 4k blu ray and original blu ray
    all access video
    home coming live 12/31/1998 including new song not available on dvd the first time on blu ray and ultra hd blu ray is darlin live and 1999 live please thanks trust me

  108. Rhino has just announced a 4-disc “Quadio” Blu-Ray audio set of “Joni Mitchell-TheAsylum Albums 1972-75”, including Quadraphonic,Stereo & ATMOS Mixes of “For The Roses”,”Court and Spark”,,”The Hissing of Summer Lawns” and “Miles of Aisles”. Some of you may ask,”But weren’t only “Court and Spark” & “The Hissing of Summer Lawns” actually released in quadraphonic?” True, but “Miles of Aisles” is a vintage Quadraphonic mix that went unreleased at the time. The Quadraphonic “For The Roses” has been newly created by engineer Bruce Botnick(known for his work with The Doors). The ATMOS mixes were created by engineers Ken Caillat & Claus Trelby. (Caillat is known for his work with Fleetwood Mac). Liner notes have been provided by Neil Young.The set is exclusive to Rhino’s website.

  109. I don’t know if there are German visitors to this site, because Herbert Grönemeyer is celebrating the 40th anniversary of his 4630 Bochum album with the release of the album on Blu-ray in Dolby Atmos.
    The Blu-ray will be available in a special limited edition Fanbox or as a stand alone release.
    https://www.groenemeyer.de/

  110. Hi Paul,
    Today I received the Mark Knofler Blu-ray.
    Unfortunately I had to pay customs clearance costs in advance (for the second time).
    I thought this fell under the IOSS system your store uses or is that a misunderstanding on my part
    Can you tell me what went wrong or is it an idea to put a larger IOSS logo on the shipping label?
    Thank you !

    1. It’s nothing to do with how large the label is. It’s all done electronically and there’s some glitch between the Irish Tax Authorities and our IOSS provider because obviously you shouldn’t have to pay this. Please email [email protected] and they will help you out.

      1. Thanks for your quick response !
        I have filed a complaint with PostNL, our local postal service. I’ll wait for their response first. If they do not give the desired answer, I will get back to you via your email address.
        Thank you !

        1. Best advice is to pay and we will refund the VAT on your purchase. Complaining to PostNL won’t do anything to be honest, it’s not their fault.

          1. Same here, my Mark Knopfler blu-ray is stuck at Finnish customs and they want me to pay VAT. I sent an email to [email protected] about this yesterday.

            I exchanged emails with the customs about the IOSS-problem and they told me that the SDE IOSS-certificate had expired on 1.4.2024.

          2. It hasn’t expired, which is why this is an frustrating issue. Apologies to everyone for all this hassle…

          3. Ok, thank you for the quick reply. Good to know that you are aware that this is how the situation looks like to customs officials / is the information that they are giving out. I will pay the VAT and hopefully it can all be sorted out later.

  111. According to Universal Canada, the 1974 Wings lp One Hand Clapping is due for release (June 14th) – 2LP + 6-track 7″, 2CD and streaming only Atmos.

  112. Camouflage – Bodega Bohemia 30th Anniversary 3CD or 4LP vinyl available for pre-order from various sites (Tapete, JPC, Amazon). Only 1500 CD copies and 500 vinyl copies being pressed.

  113. Hello everybody.
    Does someone knows when the bluray audio will be sent to customers ?
    I pre order them day one and got no news by now .
    Thank by advance.
    Didier

  114. By the way, a new Beach Boys documentary will debut through Disney’s streaming service on May 20th. There will also be a soundtrack compilation, albeit only for download and streaming.

    1. I have this in DTS-HD on DVD and wonder how much better the Blu-Ray is considering I don’t have the Atmos extra speakers (yet) and what the resolution of the source is – any thoughts?

      1. I’m wondering the same thing – if I didn’t have the 2007 DVD already, I’d’ve already pulled the trigger on getting the new release!
        It sounded *great* in the IMAX theatre.

  115. On June 20th, Esoteric releases a 3-CD + Blu-Ray audio edition of Al Stewart’s 5th album, “Past,Present and Future”. The 1973 album and the non-L.P. B-side “Swallow Wind” appear via original 1973 mixes, 2024 Stephen W. Tayler remixes(stereo & 5.1 surround), and the set also includes a 1974 live show from “The Howff”(sic)(newly mixed by Stephen W. Tayler)

      1. Good that they’ve stepped up to including blu-rays in these sets rather than DVDs – although I suspect this is mainly to give them an excuse to charge a few quid extra. Certainly they haven’t done it to give them the chance to include an Atmos mix or any of the bonus material in hi-res.

  116. The final release from the Depeche Mode Memento Mori White Label Remix Series (5 of 5) is available for pre-order.

    Link to US store:
    https://depechemode.store/

    All five are still available.

    I had bought the first two as they came out with high shipping costs and was nice to order the last three together to bundle the shipping.

  117. Hi Paul, I just received my Paul Young Blu-ray (well packaged as usual – thank you) and have just placed an order for ABC’s Lexicon of Love.
    Not sure if I missed it, but has a decision been made on whether you will be providing an option on the SDE shop to pay in a GBP rather than AUD.
    The reason I ask (and it’s not meant to sound that I’m nit picking) however, the conversion rate being used is no where near the Mastercard credit card rate. It’s no big deal on a GPB 23 purchase (approximately AUD 4.50) but could be significant on a high value purchase.
    I assume your FX provider is charging you a fee for this service and together with their shite FX rate, they appear to be making a very good profit.
    I just wanted you to be aware of the fact.
    As always, thanks for all you do to make SDE such a great site.

    1. Thanks. I’m in two minds over multi-currencies. It costs us a fortune in fees to do it, BUT when asked, the majority of the SDE audience said they preferred to shop in their local currency….

      1. That’s a shame as I’m sure in today’s times, most people have a credit card or a FX account such as Wise that is free of FX fees. From my experience a credit card conversion is always much better for the consumer than a FX conversion by a 3rd party. Paypal is the classic example – their conversion rates are horrendous. Plus as you have stated, your fees are obviously not cheap!
        I’m wondering if the SDE audience just want to be able to see the price in their local currency, like you can with your widgets but then are happy to buy in GBP. Just a thought?

          1. My UK bank noticed how much I was spending abroad and sent me a notice about opening a global bank account. Only took 5 minutes to set up so now I can buy from international Amazon websites using their local currency and not be charged a transaction fee by the bank and the exchange rate is better.
            It obviously makes more difference when buying expensive box sets.

  118. Burning Shed are have a severe sale – King Crimson, Robert Fripp, XTC… CDs, DVDAs and for you trendies Vinyl!. EG (pun intended) who could turn down the Cat Food CD for £1.99 – be quick… Oh, and the David Sylvian Box is £84.99 Although I can’t remember if this is cheap or not.

  119. Interesting chart on one of the leading Dutch newspaper’s website.
    “Global music industry sales by revenue source, in billions of dollars”
    De Volkrant writes (translated by Deepl):

    In the Netherlands, 38.2 million euros worth of records were sold last year, while CD sales were 16.1 million euros. The CD market did grow faster than vinyl sales. The higher sales of LPs are partly due to higher prices. A new LP quickly costs over 40 euros, a CD often less than 20.

    1. Just stumbled onto the news a week ago. It’s sad how someone you didn’t know and didn’t know you still was a part of your life, but is now gone.

      1. Yes, what i meant to say given their importance that they would have received more notice than just inclusion in the release of the week page. Thank you for pointing that out.

  120. Is it possible to release the Dire Straits – Brothers in Arms in Dolby Atmos on Blu-ray (Maybe Nr. 22 in the amazing SDE serie ?)
    I know it’s already released in 5.1 on SACD and avalible trough Tidal and Apple but this Classics deserve to be immortalized forever on Blu-ray ?!

  121. Mercury Studios releasing Peter Gabriel: Back to Front – Live in London 4K Blu-ray May 10.

    Additional 4K Blu-ray titles to be released later in 2024 include Mötley Crüe: The End – Live In Los Angeles, Black Sabbath The End, Eric Clapton Slowhand At 70 Live At The Royal Albert Hall and Steven Wilson Home Invasion In Concert At The Royal Albert Hall.

  122. Cherry Red has announced the first 2 Howard Jones albums on blu-ray surround (release date 31st May). Curiously, and unfortunately, the albums (and some bonus tracks) are in 5.1 but the discs also contain a couple of tracks in atmos – why not do the whole album in atmos?

    1. Wow ! Some exciting news over at http://www.spandauballet.com , Gary Kemp pictured in the studio with Steven Wilson , who has created some Atmos Mixes of Spandau tracks for a soon to be announced project . Hopefully not another compilation , but very intresting news indeed . Does , Mr Wilson ever , take a break ? !
  123. Something I am looking forward to is Pet Shop Boys getting the Dead or Alive treatment and release their 12″ Singles box release. with their vast collection of great mixes, remixes and rare editions of great tracks all these years since “One More chance” track on Bobby “O” till now. Make boxes called “Before” and “After” makes it possible to be a collectors item. Let me reserve the first box now !

    1. Vinny Vero said in an interview, I think on this very site, that he had submitted ideas to the record company for this kind of set and it was rejected. This was a few years ago mind you, so maybe their minds could have changed by now.

      1. They also posted a picture on their website a couple of years ago of a pile of ‘Please’ era DAT’s and tapes saying they were going through them and nothing ever came of that (yet).

  124. I wonder whether the John Lennon Mind Games SDE is going to be delayed? I just noticed that the accompanying book, which was announced for late april, has now been pushed to late September on Amazon/JL website. Of course that might only be the book? The SDE is showing as July on the JL website. That’s a push-back from the original annoucement as well, isn’t it?

  125. Sparks have announced a 45th Anniversary Expansion of ‘Number One in Heaven’. Although this has had a good few reissues in recent times (there was a 40th Anniversary edition), this one is of note because the (white) vinyl comes double-packed with a vinyl issue of the Noel album ‘Is There More To Life Than Dancing?’ written and produced by Ron and Russell and very much in the style of ‘Number One…’ That’s April – then in mid-May, both albums will come out as standalone 2CD expanded editions – bonus tracks TBC…

  126. ‘Now 17′ (the re-issue) will be released on 9 April. £7.99 at Amazon and HMV. Tracks:
    1. Blue Savannah – Erasure / 2. Better World – Rebel MC / 3. Opossum – Paula Abdul & The Wild Pair / 4. Kingston Town – UB40 / 5. Strawberry Fields Forever – Candy Flip / 6. I Don’t Wanna Lose You – Tina Turner / 7. Step On – Happy Mondays / 8. Loaded – Primal Scream / 9. Real, Real, Real – Jesus Jones / 10. This Is How It Feels – Inspiral Carpets / 11. Shine On – The House of Love / 12. From Out of Nowhere – Faith No More / 13. Hey You – The Quireboys / Disc: 2 / 1. This Beat Is Technotronic – Technotronic & MC Eric / 2. Happenin’ All Over Again – Lonnie Gordon / 3. Don’t You Love Me – 49ers / 4. Read My Lips (Enough Is Enough) – Jimmy Somerville / 5. Stronger Than That – Cliff Richard / 6. Another Day in Paradise – Jam Tronik / 7. Moments in Soul – JT and The Big Family / 8. Got to Have Your Love – Mantronix & Wondress / 9. Don’t Miss the Party Line – Bizz Nizz / 10. Everything Starts With an ‘E’ – E-Zee Possee / 11. Put Your Hands Together – D-Mob / 12. Killer – Adamski & Seal / 13. Chime – Orbital / 14. Tomorrow – Tongue ‘N’ Cheek / 15. Talking With Myself – Electribe 101 / 16. I’d Rather Go Blind – Sydney Youngblood

  127. Coming in May:”The Rascals-It’s Wonderful:The Complete Atlantic Studio Recordings”, a 7-CD set from the “Now Sounds” label. Unlike previous Rascals 7-CD boxed sets released in Japan & the U.S.A., this new set includes 14 previously unreleased selections; a combination of unreleased songs and alternate takes.
    Also, in May, the Chrysalis UK label releases a 3-CD + Blu-Ray audio edition of “Robin Trower-Bridge of Sighs”, the 2nd solo effort from the ex-Procol Harum guitarist. The set delivers what the fans want:Studio outtakes,live recordings and new Stereo,5.1 and ATMOS remixes.Trower and producer Matthew Fisher were interviewed for the new set.

    1. Hello, the Rascals release will most likely be distributed by Cherry Red. Cherry Red distributed the Beau Brummels “Turn around ” box set also from Now Sounds. I must say, I am really interested in this Rascals set even though i have a copy of the Rascals box set that was released on Rhino Handmade several years ago. Best regards, Hans

    2. Thanks for the info on Robin Trower Phil. I had completely forgot that it’s the 50th anniversary of Bridge of Sighs. Chrysalis UK normally do a great job with anniversary editions and at a reasonable price. Last year’s Twice Removed from Yesterday was very basic but very good – the remaster was superb. B.O.S looks like it will be issued in a media book style (similar to Jethro Tull SDE’s). The blu-ray will include all audio content of the 3CD’s + an Atmos & 5.1 mix and will be worth the price of admission alone..
      Can’t wait to hear the smokey soulful voice of James Dewar and the swirling guitar of R.T on the title track.
      Really looking forward to this one.

    1. I looking forward to this! Ordered my copy on the 25th, and it landed in JFK yesterday. Hopefully just days away.

      Annoyingly, no track listing on the site, so I have no idea what the additional tracks are; hoping there’s no duplication with the 2 disc reissue from a couple of years ago. At the very least, there is the live DVD and the 3″ (I think I still have an adapter somewhere, just in case).

  128. The latest update on Rick Wakeman’s troubled “The Prog Years” boxed set is this:The CD/DVD boxed set has been postponed for the 5th time…to March 29,2024. I haven’t been watching the vinyl edition closely, so I can’t tell you how many times it has been postponed, so I can only tell you that the latest attempted release date will be June 30,2024. For the earliest consumers who have ordred these sets, they paid hundreds of Pounds and Dollars ONE YEAR AGO.
    As I type this,Rick Wakeman’s simulated unboxing video remains on YouTube. It features a plain white mock-up with no discs whatsoever. At one point,Wakeman jokingly says,”It’s the Beatles White Album!”, but he ultimately concedes that it is a mock-up. What was Wakeman thinking?
    Wakeman, now 77, is in the midst of a worldwide farewell tour. After such an illustrious career spanning at least 54 years, this unfinished boxed set project is a sad way to say goodbye.

    1. Now postponed for the 6th time…to April 24th. People who ordered from Wakeman’s authorised webstore had received an e-mail recently claiming that the boxed set would be shipped on March 25th. At this point, this project must be deemed to be a fraud. I’m in the States, so there’s nothing that I can do, but consumers in the UK are advised to contact their local consumer protection authorities.

    1. That’s annoying! £129.99 plus shipping.
      I just paid £169 plus shipping from Discogs. I suppose for an original sealed pressing, I should not complain.

  129. NOW AVAILABLE – usual sources

    All Juiced Up Part 2: Exclusive Bundle (Volume 4, 5 & 6)

    Vol. 4 – Tracklist:
    A1. Suicide Blonde – Oakenfold Milk Mix
    A2. Elegantly Wasted (Shagsonic Remix)
    B3. The Strangest Party (These Are The Times) – Apollo 440 Mix
    B4. Searching – Alex Reece Mix

    Vol.5 – Tracklist:
    A1. Tight – Thick Dick Vocal Mix
    A2. Not Enough Time – Silky Soul Dub-stru-mental Mix
    B3. Devil Inside – 12” Mix
    B4. Burn For You – Extended Remix

    Vol.6 – Tracklist:
    A1. Just Keep Walking – Sgt Slick Extended Mix
    A2. What You Need – Cold Cut Mix
    B3. Don’t Lose Your Head – Leadstation Solid Gold Mix
    B4. Guns In The Sky – Kookaburra Mix

  130. Advice wanted…

    I recently purchased a used copy of The Beatles in Mono box set and the box has some price tag residue on it. Was wondering if anyone has tips on how to remove it without damaging the packaging.

    Thanks in advance!

    1. Hi Glenn

      Lighter fluid on a clean tissue/ cloth. It’s a very light, clean, volatile fluid that leaves no stain. An old record collector’s way of removing stickers, glue etc. You can get a tin from a proper tobacconist. I have had one for many years.

    2. Hey Glenn,
      I normally use a post-it (other brands also available) and a hair dryer, using the sticky end of the post-it gently warm up and dab the Post-it on the residue.. making sure you don’t burn yourself.. I also had some success using a Q-tip and bottle of nail polish remover (tricky)…. gently does it. I recently brought an original copy of EJs Blue Moves on Blue Vinyl from France, used the hair dryer method – Total success.. I Hope this helps..

    3. More recent stickers / glue (ie something that isn’t 50 years old) can usually be removed with lighter fluid (see Jimi Plays Monterey to see how the same substance can also be used to remove guitars). Apply some lighter fluid on the residue, not too much so that it will start running but enough to properly soak the glue. Let the lighter fluid do it’s thing and get properly soaked up for a few minutes. Then wipe the fluid and the glue away (for example with make-up removal pads). If there is still paper stuck to the glue you have to very carefully and slowly peel it off or scratch it very lightly.

      BUT, occasionally and rarely the lighter fluid CAN damage sleeves. When the sleeve is, like it probably is in this case, laminated cardboard it should be very easy to remove any residue as the sleeve hasn’t absorbed the glue and the lighter fluid will just evaporate afterwards and not dissolve anything under the laminated surface of the sleeve.

      Some types of plastic can however stretch / get softer, some printing inks can dissolve, unlaminated sleeves can cause all kinds of trouble, if the glue is on top of clear plastic hype stickers those may react etc. So there is a risk to using this method, usually nothing bad happens but there is NO GUARANTEE.

      If you have never done it before it’s best to first practice on something less valuable. A very good way to see how this works is to try it on a standard cd jewelcase, find one with a price sticker on it that doesn’t come off easily and try to remove it using lighter fluid. What I also often do is to first try the fluid on a small area in the corner of the sleeve or the bottom of the box. Apply a tiny amount of fluid and see if it just evaporates and disappears or if it’s causes some sort of damage or leaves a stain. If nothing bad seems to happen then try to remove the sticker residue.

      Again, use this method at your own risk – most of the time nothing bad will happen if you are careful but there’s always the occasional case when it goes terribly wrong…

    4. A q-tip soaked in indoor lamp oil and then applied on the price tag. Let the lamp oil soak up the glue from the price tag for about 5 to 10 minutes depending on the size of the price tag and the amount of glue used. Now carefully, but easy, remove the price tag and wipe of with a clean cloth. Indoor lamp oil is thicker than lighter fluid and therefore more easy to apply on a specific surface and it’s the oil that dissolves the glue.

  131. Hi: Just out of curiosity. Is SDE in a position to request licensing the Beatles Dolby Atmos mixes to be available in Blu-ray? Would be fantastic.

  132. Scanning this year’s RSD list – and I appreciate these things are entirely subjective depending on the artists you are into – but whilst there a few things I’d really like (like the two OMD releases), it’s a slightly more ‘fallow year’ for me this time. One thing really did strike me though – this is the year of the zoetrope effect picture disc, for sure! Loads of ’em. I like the wording on the George Harrison entries – the first two of a ‘multi-year partnership’ with RSD to bring out all his solo studio albums on zoetrope vinyl.

    1. Zoetrope … for those who sit and watch their music? This one strikes me as a REALLY gimmicky effort to convince people to buy the same product again …

  133. Anyone on the OMD email list will already have this info, but they have announced 2 products for RSD in April. The first is the Bauhaus Staircase instrumental album on vinyl, and the second is the Junk Culture Demos & Rarities on vinyl (the same tracks as on the second CD of the 2CD version).

  134. As often happens, I was too slow in posting on the last Saturday Deluxe post, but there was a lot of food for thought there. The golden age of super deluxe editions is probably over now. However there is still a deluge of interesting music releases of one kind or another – it’s just a question of picking the ones that appeal to you. For me the multiple coloured vinyl releases are not to my taste, but here’s a few lists of others that have tickled my fancy in 2023, and kept my interest in physical recorded music:

    Favourite new albums: Gaz Coombes, Young Fathers, Blur, Corinne Bailey Rae, Rolling Stones
    Favourite reissues: Little Feat x2, Dylan Time Out of Mind box and bluray, The Who, Joni Archives 3, Prince Diamonds and Pearls
    Favourite deals: Dylan box, Joni box, Beach Boys box, Elton Madman box, subscription to Last Night From Glasgow

    So, still a lot to enjoy, and I’m sure this time next year I and everyone else will be able to produce similar lists.

    Mind you, just to counter the above, here’s one more list:

    The SDEs that will never happen: Roxy For Your Pleasure/Stranded, Genesis Lamb, Simple Minds Sons and Fascination, Bob Seger The Reprise years, McCartney London/Egg

  135. On March 3rd, canadian singer-songwriter Loreena McKennitt releases a new album “The Road Back Home”. Atmos Mix streaming only! Physical releases only CD and LP.
    https://loreenamckennitt.com/
    (There is also an interesting Deluxe Box set of her album “The Visit” that would deserve to be covered here – it does have a surround mix on BR.)

  136. On 22 March, The Cure will release a 30th anniversary remastered edition of their live album ‘Paris’ with two new tracks “Shake dog shake” and “Hot hot hot”. On CD and Vinyl.

  137. Hello Paul, thanks for the incredible 2 wham! Bluray Audio’s. Complete in my teenager world. Really so happy with those 2 albums. Please continue like this!! Congrats!!

  138. The Motown catalogue, especially the less known parts, has been neglected over the last few years. It is good to see some early 70s Smokey Robinson and the Miracles material being reissued on CD by soulmusic/Cherry Red this April. I hope its the first of many more.

    https://www.cherryred.co.uk/product/smokey-robinson-the-miracles-what-love-has-joined-together-a-pocket-full-of-miracles-one-dozen-roses-flying-high-together-2cd/?utm_source=Cherry%20Red%20Records%20Mailing%20List&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=April%20Part%201%20New%20Releases&_kx=7Zro0OU7BWICnaIqrnOfAbLPM8rGX5rM9IJo8xnXeLM%3D.XRaxax

    1. Ooo ooo! Thanks for posting about Smokey, but while visiting your link, I saw that Nina Simone’s complete Colpix recordings is being released in March. Hot damn!

  139. I have just heard that Melanie Safka has died. Didn’t ever like Brand New Key much, but she did some really good albums.

    I should also mention Mary Weiss of the Shangri Las, as no one else has, who also died recently.

    1. Melanie was so much more than Brand New Key. As you said, some of her albums are very good. I have a 2CD set from that wonderful (but now sadly missed) reissue label, Raven Records (Australia) RVCD-393 which featured the albums – Candles In The Rain, Leftover Wine & Gather Me. Some really good songs on these. OOP but seek it out if you like Melanie. It also contains a bonus track of the rare original full length version (7.48) of Lay Down (Candles In The Rain).
      I also like her cover of the Stones’ Ruby Tuesday – sung with much more feeling.
      RIP Melanie

      1. I have some excellent Raven Records reissue cds and will look out for the Melanie one as it covers my favourite albums of hers, which I have on vinyl. Her Ruby Tuesday is very good.

    2. I tend to find out about dead pop stars on Twitter. It seems to be where the news of a death is spread the quickest. We’re also at an age now where there’s seems to be a famous person passing away every other day.

  140. Dropping in with a VDGG box set question, but is it just me, or does the beginning of the 5.1 mix of H TO HE WHO AM THE ONLY ONE just sound, well, wrong?

  141. Next Friday 26 January, an Atmos-mix of U2’s Achtung Baby will be released on streaming platforms. From an e-mail sent to members of the U2 fanclub:

    “Why not join us at Zoo TV Cinema on Thursday at 4pm for an exclusive first listen of the newly remastered Achtung Baby, remixed in Dolby Atmos.

    Developed over 17 months across 5 studios worldwide, this is the first major U2 album to be released in Dolby Atmos.

    Presented with remarks from Award-Winning Recording Engineer, Chris Jenkins.

    This is your chance to be the first to listen to Achtung Baby in spatial audio before digital release on January 26.”

    Obviously this fuels the hope for a physical release as well, but no mention of that yet.

  142. Billy starts the fire..
    Billy Joel is set to release his first new music in nearly two decades, “Turn the lights back on” will be available to stream on the 1st Feb 2024 and a limited 7-Inch single… welcome back Billy..

  143. I saw Queen Rock Montreal at the local IMAX theater over the weekend (It was great, thanks for asking!). Is there any news or rumors about any product reissues tied to this? Otherwise, seems like a lot of work for a 4-day theater run.

  144. Rhino has released a CD version of the recent vinyl-only Black Friday RSD expanded version of The [English] Beat’s ‘I Just Can’t Stop It’. Has the same 23 tracks. Great to see this come out on CD.

  145. Billy Joel Piano Man (50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition) Columbia (Sony Music)Japanese expanded edition includes Quad Mix and new-to-CD tracks.

  146. This year is the 30th anniversary of The Division Bell – anybody know if there are any plans? I passed on the unnecessary bloated 20th anniversary, but I would like to hear the surround mix.

    1. The surround mix is on Apple Music. If you you have the latest Apple TV 4K and can hook it up to your surround receiver, you can listen to lots of Dolby Audio (5.1) and Dolby Atmos music.

  147. Another Stones release – Live At The Wiltern: Blu-Ray & 2CD (also DVD and vinyl versions) £20 from the uDiscoverMusic site and presumably elsewhere

  148. Just for anyone who’s interested, the 25th anniversary edition of Jewel’s Spirit CD is faulty. Track 11 of the second CD (Hands studio outtake) has some weird interference in it and is not normal. This can be backed up by the fact that the streaming version has no problems. I have tried two copies of the CD and both were no good, so will be regretfully returning them. Quality control problems…..
    I would love to own this product, but will not accept a faulty version.

  149. Howard Jones posted a new year’s e-newsletter which mentioned this rather interesting teaser: ‘Cherry Red have some cracking new releases for you during the coming year including surround mixes from Stephen Tayler and Dolby Atmos mixes of some vintage Hojo tracks from Bob Clearmountain. ‘ Human’s Lib in 5.1 or better yet Atmos would sound terrific. Stephen Tayler engineered his first two WEA albums and has worked on surround mixes for some more recent D-Tox-era tracks (and also worked on Ms Bush’s more recent stuff I believe – I think he had a role in the live sound mix of Before the Dawn if memory serves?) and Bob Clearmountain mixed his last WEA/EastWest LP. Really looking forward to seeing what’s coming…

    1. I saw that on FB and hope that the first 4 albums get a 5.1 and/or Atmos treatment. After getting both the D-Tox and Cherry Red remasters of his WEA albums, there’s nothing else that I would buy of this era of his output.

    2. That’s good to hear. The Video Collection that was available via his website had all the tracks in true 5.1 surround so it isn’t something HJ hasn’t dabbled with.

  150. Violent Femmes – Violent Femmes (1983) 2-CD Deluxe Edition came out on Craft Recordings back in October. Includes non-album singles, demos and live tracks.

    1. Digging deeper this new release includes all but the below two tracks from the 2002 Rhino release and doesn’t add anything new.

      2.14 Michael Feldman Interview 4:08
      2.15 Kiss Off 3:31
      2-14 & 2-15: Recorded live for WHA Radio, Madison, Wisconsin, 6th February 1982

      From the Craft Recordings site:
      This expanded 40th anniversary 2-CD edition includes the remastered album, plus rare B-sides, live sessions, and demo recordings. The package also includes liner notes by journalist David Fricke, featuring interviews with the band. 

      A 3LP + 7″ vinyl box set is also coming out in Feb.

  151. Anyone familiar with the Atlantic 75 anniversary releases? Surprised no mention of these yet. The LP’s from Acoustic Sounds are the original mixes cut at 45 rpm and the Genesis albums are getting good reviews. There will be SACD versions of these in the future with the exception of the Phil Collins albums.

  152. Did anybody else receive the soft cell bundles ? Did you receive the “4 Free Limited Single Sleeve Art Prints” and the “Exclusive Free Limited Numbered Peter Anderson Photo” with yours ?

    1. Hi Savantas. I did get the box set with the photo and the sleeve art cards, yes. Those came in a brown card-backed envelope tucked inside the outer mailing carton next to the box set itself, but I nearly didn’t spot it! Good luck – get onto the Soft Cell official store if you didn’t receive yours.

  153. Following 3 shows in his native New Jersey on the first week of November,Bruce Springsteen had to go on hiatus from live performances due to a serious stomach illness. And so, Bruce’s official download store did what they normally do when Bruce isn’t touring:They reverted back to offering vintage,previously unreleased shows from the archives. The latest offering was recorded live in Philadelphia in 2009.

    1. Appreciate this is a physical format site, but some of those releases are exceptional and I cannot recommend highly enough – especially the 1978 / 1980 releases.

  154. Anybody got the full details on the Paul McCartney 3 – 3 year anniversary release on Dec 15. Apparently 3 different coloured vinyls chosen randomly so you dont know which colour you will get (he’s obviously got a few Bowie fans on his team). Limited to only 2 copies each person. No guarantee you will get two different. Put on sale on Universal.de. But no comment on how limited. Anybody know?

  155. The Billy Joel live compilation “Live through the years”, that was released as digital only on streaming sites a couple of years ago, is being released on a so-called blu-spec CD2 in Japan on December 20th. Some additional tracks have been added. The retail price is reasonable on CDJapan (€17.41). But obviously VAT and p&p will need to be added. JPC Germany lists it at €37.99…

  156. Pink Floyd have released 16 “Copyright Extension” download releases; audience recordings of 1973 shows. They are copies of CD & vinyl bootlegs with no remastering,pitch correction or de-clicking whatsoever. Whereas the 2022 releases of 1972 concerts featured an embryonic version of “The Dark side of the Moon”(with “The Travel Sequence” & “The Mortality Sequence”), The 1973 concertrs(Recorded after the release of “The Dark side of the Moon”) reflect the finalised album(with “On The Run” & The Great Gig in The Sky”). These 1973 shows also featured songs from “Ummagumma”, “Obscured By Clouds” and “Meddle”.

  157. Now Yearbook 88 Extra has just been announced. Gotta say, it strikes me as a very strong tracklist for an Extra (and they rarely disappoint in quality as it is)

  158. (Almost) every time I open SDE, I get “Bob Dylan / The Complete Budokan 1978 – unboxed!” as the first article. Only on reload, I get the new ones.
    Very strange!

  159. A word of warning about damage to CDs from certain types of sleeves. I took my 2CD/DVD Archive copy of Band on the Run off the shelf to play the disc of the original album. The playing surface had a line 10mm in from each side, which have proved very difficult to remove without damaging the disc permanently. When I looked inside the sleeve, it seems the adhesive used to stick down the flaps of the packaging has leaked on to the disc. It might be worth checking any CDs in card sleeves.

  160. Just got my Camel box set from Amazon Germany. It’s an impressive set but the packaging is disappointing to me. Only the Blue-ray discs have individual slip covers. All the CDs are jammed into tight slots – 4 per page, making scratching likely. I hope the months long delay wasn’t because they were improving the packaging. The music is as great as ever though.

  161. Looking for tech help.
    Got a Denon AV receiver, non Atmos, connected to my Blu ray with a digital coax. The Blu ray is connected to my TV with a HDMI and the TV is then connected also to the amp with a fibre optic.
    Still with me?
    When I play the Prince Diamonds & Pearls Blu ray via the digital coax the best I get is Pro logic II and not Dolby Digital, from the Atmos setting on the disc.
    If I select TV on the amp it outputs DD!
    Other discs in Dolby Atmos play fine when I select DVD on the amp.
    I know it’s not the end of the world as I can leave my TV on and then blank the screen, I was just curious.

  162. Hello,, I must say , at this time of year I am really waiting for news on releases for 2024. There will be alot coming as it was this year. The most interesting new releases for 2024 according to myself are, Jack Bruce – broadcast sessions (jan-26), Colosseum – recordings 1968-71 (feb 23) and Dream academy – 7 cd set on feb -23. All are released via Cherry Red and presented on their website as of today. I am also really waiting for the upcoming set by the Waterboys covering the “This is the sea – sessions” . Best regards Hans , Sweden

    1. Looks like a bunch of new material in the Dream Academy set. Got their three album CDs when they came out, got the Japanese Somewhere in the Sun CD compilation and the The Morning Lasted All Day 2CD retrospective. I do have to ask myself, am I really going to listen to that new box considering I have only listened to the compilations maybe twice since they were released?

      Also saw the Kissing the Pink 5 CD Box and it seems to be missing some of the tracks that were bonus tracks on prior the expanded CDs. But again, not a band I go to very much anymore.

  163. The last part of my post about new releases seems to be missing. What it went on to say that Now! 16 had also been released last month and is currently available direct from Amazon at £7.98.

  164. Couple of releases to mention that I haven’t seen on this site:

    1. Pink Floyd’s Atom Heart Mother ‘Hakone Aphrodite’ Japan 1971, special CD and Blu-Ray limited edition. To be released 8 December. Currently priced £49.99 on Amazon https://amzn.to/3sPDpxG

    2. Correct me if I’m wrong Paul, but I don’t think you’re currently listing the latest re-releases of the original Now! CDs, are you? Obviously, you’re still highlighting the yearbooks as they’re released (and thank you for doing so). The last re-release I can find mentioned here is Now! 14. For those who are collecting this series, they might like to know that Now! 15 was released back in the summer, although it seems already to be available only through third-party sellers at twice the original Amazon price https://amzn.to/47P8gcr

      1. I wonder if they are using the Japanese pressing/packaging released Aug 2021 (7″ cardboard sleeve) or are they replicating it with European made packaging. Either way it’s cheaper to buy it on CD Japan at AUD $61 or roughly GBP 32 depending on shipping & taxes of course.

  165. just noticed that the Bob Dylan big box version of another self portrait is down to £58 as a Back Friday thing. I never bought it, so I have now, despite having the 2CD version and the remastered original LP. It’s probably very sad of me.

    1. Not sad at all. I, too, have bought it many times over the years, and I actually love the thing. It’s just so wonderfully weird in it’s sprawling messiness!

  166. I’m wonder for us folks that have ordered the three; Van Morrison, Soft Cell, and Trevor Horn, all scheduled for a December 1st release, will those be packaged together as one or should we look for three individual packages?

  167. As I predicted, the 3rd proposed release date(30th Nov.) for Rick Wakeman’s troubled 26-CD/6-DVD boxed set, “The Prog Years” is not to be. The next proposed release date is 2nd Feb.,2024. The ostensible reason: Because audio tapes of 7 additional 1970’s Wakeman concerts were found, and these will be included in the boxed set, in place of certain previously released performances, and the boxed set will be retitled “The Prog Years Redux”.Let me caution fans in no uncertain terms: Do NOT order this boxed set until and unless it is released.

  168. 2023 must be the first year to see both the Beatles and the Rolling Stones top the British charts with new material since 1969. Feels like a bit of a moment to see those two giants briefly conquering the music scene again, one last* time.

    * Well, presumably…

  169. Hi, Paul. Just wanted to let you know about some strange website behavior. My SDE bookmark which I’ve been using for years sends me to your main page where Bob Dylan’s Budokon unboxing video is at the top with 11 comments listed. If I type in the SDE address the updated main page shows with The Killers at the top with The Dylan link below with 18 comments. Very strange! Hope it’s not only me with this issue.

    1. Thanks Andy. We have made some backend updates recently which may account for this. I think if you cleared your cache on the browser the bookmark would probably be okay. Going to have a look at some settings on our server side to try and stop others seeing this behaviour. Again, many thanks for letting me know. P

      1. I cleared my cache, but it’s still happening. No big deal, cuz if I click on the ‘Super Deluxe Edition’ icon in the top/middle of the page (the circly thingy), I get where I want to go. I trust it’ll go away eventually.

          1. Deleting my SDE bookmark and re-bookmarking the main page seems to have taken care of the issue.

            Oops. I spoke too soon. The new bookmark still leads me to the Dylan unboxing video. Very strange! Again, I’ll just keep using my work-around.

          2. This doesn’t make any sense to me but I’m still looking into it. Thanks for the update.

          3. Hi Paul

            I’m finding that comments on any thread take a while to load before you can read them, an issue I have never had previously. Been like this for at least a week. Are you aware?
            Thanks

  170. Swervedriver have announced a deluxe 3CD version of their 99th Dream album, out in January.

    And there’s a newly remastered and expanded version of Portishead’s Roseland NYC Live album coming (out now digitally, vinyl and CD to come)

  171. Hi – after persisting with my home cinema 5.1 Ive decided it’s time to go for an Atmos compatible soundbar.

    I want this primarily for listening to music, not movie watching.

    Any recommendations?

    Thank you

  172. The latest release in Sony Japan’s Quadraphonic SACD series(in 7″ x 7″ packaging) by Santana is the group’s 5th album “Welcome”, to be released on the last week of this month (November 2023). The “Hybrid” disc also contains the stereo mix.

    1. I must admit I’m a bit of a sucker for these. I’ve bought both Billy Joel’s 52nd St & The Stranger (both now OOP) and the first two Santana albums (S/T and Abraxas). The Abraxas packaging in particular is superb. Have had Carlos Santana & Buddy Miles Live in my cart for quite a while now. Decisions!!!!
      Really love the packaging on this 7″ series and to my ears, they sound great too.

    1. I’d love to hear any of the first 4 or last 4 OMD albums in full 5.1 or Atmos. I think their music is ideally suited to it. Might have to wait for Paul Humphreys to get bored and have time to remix them. Unlikely to happen when he has a young daughter to raise.

  173. A 50th anniversary edition of Mott the Hoople’s All Then Young Dudes is due for release on December 8. A limited edition, the box includes 2 LPs in gatefold covers, 2 CDs, a 12” vinyl single, a 72-Page Hardback Book, 3 Art Prints, 2 Posters, a “Sea Divers membership card” and an individually numbered certificate.

    1. Fantastic, but the anti-bundled-media-brigade won’t be pleased. And cue the ‘no Atmos no deal’ bollocks. Now, where’s my old copy of Dairy of a RockStar…and what have l done with my reading glasses?

  174. Out of curiosity, did anyone from Australia managed to get the Prince Diamond & Pearls SDE (CD format) for $38 from Amazon AU?
    I received a “sorry we made a pricing error” email and my order was cancelled. Received a $10 voucher for my “inconvenience”
    Strangely, my pre-orders of the Vinyl box set for $258, Motley Crue Shout at the Devil SDE $53 and Charles Mingus Takes Manhattan 4LP box $30 haven’t been cancelled…. yet!!! (but not fulfilled either)
    Unsurprisingly for regular users of Amazon AU, all of these titles went out of stock on the day of release (27 Oct) and are still showing out of stock. In fact both Prince SDE’s can’t even be ordered on AU even at regular prices (only available via UK or US – 3rd party). WTF!
    I suspect they didn’t have any stock at all for these titles. Clearly their “pre-order” system doesn’t communicate with their inventory system or someone does not know what their doing!
    Speaking of which – the greatest Band in the world release their re-hashed “Red & Blue” albums next week – they’re not even available to pre-order
    on Amazon AU. They really have no clue!!

  175. Brain teaser, folks. I was listening to the atmos mix of ‘Let it be’ (The Beatles) and noticed the short phrase John says after ‘Dig it’ leading into ‘Let it be’:
    ”That was ‘can you dig it’ by Georgie Wood and now we’d like to do ‘Hark, the angels come’…” is missing.
    It’s on the hi rez stereo mix and the 5.1 mix but not the atmos. Any thoughts? I’m new to atmos, so…
    Thanks for your time.

  176. I’m not sure if this has been mentioned previously this year but 2023 is the 40th Anniversary of the CD.
    Officially the first CD released was Billy Joel’s 52nd Street in Japan on 1 Oct 1982 simultaneously with Sony’s CD Player CDP 101.
    On March 2 1983, the CD and CD players were officially launched worldwide. Sony released 16 titles on that day.
    I wonder how many people still have their original CD Player. I still have my Akai player purchased in early 1984. Still works and weighs a ton :)
    It had a great programing feature which I’ve not seen on any other player. It has a “without” button which you could use to program tracks you didn’t want to hear. For instance if you wanted to hear 8 out of 10 tracks on the CD you would just enter the 2 you didn’t want to hear rather than entering the 8 you did want to hear.
    Long live the CD

    1. Bought me first CD player in 1989. A Sony player. A high school friend of mine had an older brother who worked at the music store and he took me to go buy it. First CDs I bought that day were The Specials debut album and Pato Banton’s ‘Never Give In’. I remember comparing the sound between my Specials cassette and the CD. The CD sounded great. It is still my preferred format and I still collect and listen to them all the time. Thanks for sharing @Roel.

      1. Hi Glenn. I “think” my first CD purchase was Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here in 1984. I do remember it cost AUD $30 whilst records were about $12-$14. To put that in perspective the AUD & the USD were on parity – about $1 for $1 back in those days.
        I remember going into our largest record store in the City (78 Records, Perth Western Australia) trying to look for CDs. They had a small section at the very back of the store with about 30-40 CDs displayed vertically on a back wall. It took about 30 seconds to browse through the stock:)
        How times have changed – now vinyl is twice (or more) the price of CDs and CDs are again confined to the back of the store.

    2. I bought my first CD player – a Toshiba XR-9217 – back in the summer of 1987 and my first CD purchase was Sgt Pepper Lonely Hearts Club Band. With great fanfare, the Beatles’ catalogue had been launched that year on CD and the arrival of Sgt Pepper on the format made me finally take the plunge.

    3. I think my father still has his (working) Philips CD-104 that he got in 1986 for his 50th birthday. It also weighs a ton. I was 11 years old at the time and I think one of the first CD’s we got was Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band by the Beatles. My father was more into classical music, though. The first CD I bought was a hits compilation album from 1986, that featured songs like “I’ve been losing you” (A-ha) and “The Final Countdown” (Europe).
      This is the one:
      https://apopfansdream.wordpress.com/2014/09/24/hits-album-5-cbs-wea-1986/
      Brilliant times

    4. LONG LIVE THE CD!!
      Being a bear of little brain, I have no idea what the first CD I bought was. I get the vague feeling that they were about 16 pounds a pop at the beginning in the UK

  177. I’m confused… the Beatles site showing the 7″ and 12″ clearly show multiple tracks on both sides of both versions, yet they are only listing one song per side. If this is Apple’s sloppy approach, what’s the probability that they have remastered the wrong version of Love Me Do?

  178. Sony in Japan have just released a 2-CD + 2-DVD set, “Bruce Springsteen-Japanese Singles Collectiom”. The two CD’s are a 35-track greatest hits and the two DVD’s(running 5 hours total) contain 62 videos & concert clips. But be cautioned that the DVD’s are region coded to play only in Japan,the UK & Western Europe. If you live anywhere else, you’ll need a modified “Region Code Free” DVD or Blu-Ray player(Every DVD or Blu-Ray player I’ve ever bought was a modified unit). Springsteen likes to maintain strict control over his “product”, and I’m stunned that he would permit Sony to perpetrate this on his fans. The use of region coding on non-cinematic programs, which were always intended to go directly to the home video market(such as music videos & concerts), is to abuse region coding in a way that the DVD format’s inventors never intended.

    1. Whilst it doesn’t concern me directly as I have a multi region player, it does seem a strange decision to region lock it. As you correctly pointed out, most music DVDs are Region free. I have quite a few of these Japanese Singles Collections. The earlier releases seem to be region free however my last purchase was Billy Joel which was also locked in to Region 2.
      Having said that, this series is ultimately made for the Japanese market however, I do agree with you.

  179. Just wanted to alert you to the fact that the Marillion SDEs of Misplaced Childhood and Clutching At Straws have been reissued. I know that many missed out on these first time round (including me!) so might be worth a post Paul. Currently available to ship on Amazon and Burning Shed. Prices are around the £50 mark so not as cheap as they have previously but worth every penny IMO!!

  180. Why no mention of the excellent box space ritual?I fully understand space,time restrictions etc but it’s Hawkwind tour de force 11 cd + blu ray excellent value cm on SDE think outside of the box (for a change)! Give us old rockers a chance.

  181. I just had a glimpse of iMusic’s (Denmark) sneak preview of this years Black Friday RSD. An album that caught my eye was Splinter – The Place I Love, their 1974 debut album. For those old enough to remember this underrated album contained the fine single, “Costafine Town” which reached top 20 in the UK and top 10 here in Australia. Not sure how it went in the US.
    Splinter were George Harrison’s “baby” and this album was the first to be released on Harrison’s Dark Horse label. The album was produced by Harrison and also features Klaus Voorman, Billy Preston, Gary Wright and Jim Keltner. If you listen to the single you can hear George’s influence and even the vocals have some similarity to George.
    It looks like Olivia Harrison is finally opening up the Dark Horse vaults and not before time too.

  182. Depeche Mode – Ghosts Again limited ‘white label’ 12″ out Nov 10.

    Info from the US store (email said would also be available at select EU retailers):

    The first of the Momento Mori White Label Remix Series, Ghosts Again (Remixes) will arrive November 10th, 2023. These LIMITED EDITION 12” pressings are individually numbered, and EXCLUSIVE to the Depeche Mode on-line store in North America.

    LIMITED EDITION EXCLUSIVE 12” VINYL

    45 RPM, BLACK vinyl disc, in die cut single pocket jacket with 2 stickers (1 on front, 1 on back), with promo sleeve.

    TRACK LIST:
    SIDE A
    Ghosts Again (Massano Remix)
    SIDE AA
    Ghosts Again (Chris Liebing vs Luke Slater Remix)

    https://depechemode.store/products/ghosts-again-remixes-exclusive-12-single-vinyl

    They have also released a Digital-only ‘My Favourite Stranger’ (Remixes) EP

    Where are the CD singles?…

  183. New Bananarama 40 years best of out, with some expensive, fancy but nice-looking Deluxe Sets ( signed print/book/all that stuff) as well as a 2-CD

    1. Good stuff .But , I think its due next year in the Spring . Its a pity as it would have been , great for the Christmas market . I thought they were really good at Radio 2’s Live in the Park concert and funny as well !

  184. A friend of mine named Rich Weiner owns the world’s largest collection of records and memorabilia by The Who, and operates a website, TheWho.info devoted to that collection. / Recently,Weiner has obtained two acetates which document the first two recording sessions by the group,initially known as “The Detours”, then “The Who”, then “The High Numbers”,then(again) as “The Who”. You can hear 30 second excerpts from these acetates at TheWho.info , though, of course,whether they are someday released is to be decided by Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey.
    The Detours’ 1963 “Dick James” acetate finds Pete Townshend,18,Roger Daltrey,19, John Entwistle,19 and 33 year old drummer Doug Sandom(1930-2019) performing an early Pete Townshend original “It Was You”, a rather typical beat group composition of its era. The acetate shows Sandom to be a more than capable drummer, but he didn’t get on with Pete Townshend, and Townshend wanted Sandom to be fired for being too old. In March 1964,Sandom was fired. The group played gigs with session drummers for a while, until one night, when an audience member named Keith Moon insisted that he could play drums better, and the group let him have a go.
    Returning to the studio in 1964, this time as “The Who” with Keith Moon, the group recorded 2 songs,preserved on an IBC Studios acetate. The group re-recorded “It Was You”, this time with better recording quality and production,and more confident vocals. and the group also recorded an early arrangement of “I’m The Face”,a song which they would soon re-record for the Fontana label, under the name “The High Numbers”. “I’m The Face” was the same tune as blues standard “Got Love if You Want It”, with mod lyrics provided by Pete Meadon,a friend of the group.

  185. Hi Paul. There should be a deluxe edition of the Alphaville albums “Prostitute” and “Salvation” coming this year. Maybe you have more information of this two releases? Thanks

  186. Hey Paul! It just occurred to me that a possible blog item for you might be to author a post about vinyl record variations – grams, recycled vs virgin, colored vs black – and how each might or might not affect sound quality. I’d be very interested in the topic as I’m sure others would as well. Of course, that might open up a rabbit hole of sorts.

    1. Hey Andy, here’s my 2 cents worth. Vinyl in it’s virgin state is clear/light brown tinge. I believe carbon is added to the mixture to make it black so in theory, there should be no difference in sound quality whatever the colour.
      I’ll now jump in that rabbit hole.

      1. Another onion in this otherwise worthy suggestion’s ointment is the strange fact that many SDE readers seem to abhor vinyl records and will tell you so at length.

  187. A deluxe box set of The Yes Album is coming in November. One LP, 4CDs and a Blu-ray. Includes period live concert recordings mono mixes and various rarities. Pricing appears to be just under the £90 mark.

    1. Great news that a release date has been announced. At £177, it’s more expensive than the price floated around earlier this year, but still decent value for such a mammoth box. Certainly one for the wish list.

    2. Best news of all is that the mixing and I assume remastering has been done by Stephen W Tayler and not that other bloke that seems to remaster every prog reissue!

  188. Drummer John Marshall has died at age 82. Best known as drummer for Soft Machine from 1972-2022,, Marshall had previously played with Nucleus(several of whose members later joined Soft Machine), Marshall played his final live gig at Ronnie Scott’s club in June 2022, and appears on Soft Machine’s recently released “Other Doors” album, which was recorded in 2022. He was also a prolific session musician in the 1960’s and early 1970’s, whose work included the original “Jesus Christ Superstar” album, Jack Bruce’s “Songs for a Tailor” album,and his first session gig:providing the Ska beat on Millie’s “My Boy Lollipop”.
    It was obvious that Marshall was unwell. Autographed copies of Soft Machine’s “Other Doors” album, have 3 of the members’ autographs signed directly onto the digipak, but Marshall’s signature (which may possibly be simulated) is on a transparent plastic sticker.

  189. Just read on a Waterboys thing that there is a 6CD box of This is the Sea coming out in 2024. Really hoping the price isn’t mad as the last two big sets have been fine.

    1. I was just reading that article and they are talking about releasing a fast version of This Is The Sea claiming it’s unreleased which is untrue as it appears on the The Secret Life Of The Waterboys 81-85 as That Was The River.

      1. Mike Scott clarified that it’s not the same version. Tom Verlaine’s guitar is much more prominent in the mix and Mike has rerecorded his vocals.

  190. cher…deluxe believe, as well as christmas album…i will say, the uk version of ‘it;s a mans world” was so much better than the US version…i made sure to get the UK…all that useless 90’s r&b was hideous

  191. There’s a really (peace and) lovely interview with Ringo on the Associated Press website (APnews.com) where he talks about his EPs, the Get Back film and the new Beatles song. Just in case you missed it… Oh, yes, and Thomas the Tank Engine too.

  192. Hi Paul,I have purchased The Who’s Who’s Next/Lifehouse Super Deluxe set from Amazon.The manufacturer did well packing it with outer packing. but the memorabilia package had the photo and the two replica tourbooks seriously damaged from the packed set of buttons which were included.From what I have read and heard from others on YouTube and other reviews ,this is a widespread problem.Does anyone know who I can contact to send replacements for the damaged memorabilia.I live in the USA.
    Amazon offered to replace the set,But I feel that it would also have a high probability of the same type of damage, and that’s why I want to contact the manufacturer.
    Thanks so much,
    Cheers,
    Chris

    1. I bought two copies of The Who’s “Who’s Next/Lifehouse” 10-CD + Blu-Ray; The European-manufactured “Rest of the World” edition(which I’ll give to my cousin), then I ordered the Japan SHM-CD edition(after I became aware of It). In both sets,the glossy photo was damaged by contact with the set of pins. In the sets that I bought,none of the other items in the memorabilia pack were damaged. But damage to the photo seems to affect all sets.

  193. Things have gone from bad to worse for Rick Wakeman;s ill-fated 32 disc(26-CD/6-DVD) boxed set “The Prog Years”. The postponed release date,Sept.29th was not to be, and clearly the next proposed release date(Nov.30th) won’t happen either. On September 22nd, Wakeman posted a video to his official YouTube channel. It shows Wakeman “unboxing” a plain white,unprinted mock-up box with plain white unprinted contents and no discs whatsoever. When Wakeman shows the set’s hardback book, it is, of course,plain white and unprinted and Wakeman openly concedes that it is a mock-up. It is quite clear that this boxed set has never proceded to the manufacturing stage, 6 months after preorders began. Why Wakeman would deceive his fans with a make-believe unboxing video is unclear. More recently, Wakeman’s company,RRAW Enterprises finalised distribution deals with four U.S.A. dealers(Amazon.com,Barnes & Noble, Pop Market and Collectors Choice) to, ostensibly enable U.S.A. fans to purchase the set at a more reasonable price. The reverse is true. For U.S.A. consumers, the bottom line price to order the set from one of those four U.S.A. dealers will be significantly higher than the $330 that I paid to the UK dealer Music Glue. Whether “The Prog Years” ever procedes to the manufacture stage may hinge upon how many preorders are received by those four U.S.A. dealers. Even the $330 that I paid is no bargain for a piece of vapourware.

  194. Not sure when you did it Paul, but I’m pleased to see that ‘The SDE Shop’ now has a tab at the top of the screen. I know that I am a luddite, but this makes looking at your shop a lot easier.

  195. Klaus Nomi – The Remix Album out Sep 23 2023

    Is sold out on both CD and vinyl but assume more will come available as with his recent reissues
    https://klausnomi.net/en

    Vince Clarke Nomi Song remix on YouTube
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JL9cVKNjB-4

    Tracklisting :
    The Cold Song – Arnaud Rebotini Remix
    Keys of Life – The Hacker Remix
    ICUROK – Para One Remix
    Simple Man – Agar Agar Remix
    Nomi Song – Vince Clarke Remix
    Lightning Strikes – Flabaire Remix
    Keys of Life – Canblaster Remix
    The Cold Song – Mud Deep Remix

  196. This is a comment just to suggest something that I understand may be difficult to accomplish given this album was released with a new remix recently. I’d be really interested in SDE releasing a hi-res version of All Things Must Pass, containing the original mix or with a new mix by Steven Wilson or someone like that! I think it would be a really great idea! Thanks in advance for reading this.

      1. I found it a little bit bass heavy/with too much low end. I don’t have a top audiophile system, but many people agree with me on this on many threads of discussion! Even in youtube reviews you find something similar.

  197. Marillion has repressed an additional 1000 copies each of the Misplaced Childhood and Clutching At Straws Deluxe Editions, with a release date of the 20th of Oct, now available for pre-order from the band’s website and they include a signed A4 print of the album artwork.
     
    Misplaced Childhood – Misplaced Childhood

    Clutching At Straws – Clutching at Straws

    1. I just received the follow up email. it is a 12×12 box for $160, looking like it is full of tat. So, not the same size as most of the recent bootlegs series and extremely expensive for a 4CD set. On the bright side (there isn’t one) it’s imported from Japan. huzzah!

  198. ignoring the Stones’ massively plugged new album, I spotted on the uDiscoverMusic site that the Black Crowes Southern Harmony And Musical Companion is their next reissue. It will be released on 4LP, 3CD, 2 CD, and 1LP formats, which will be released on December 1, 2023. I have the 3CD of Shake Your Money Maker so will probably match it with this if it is a similar price (£20 or so)

    1. My favorite BC’s album. Thanks for the info!

      edit: Holy rip-off, Batman! Just checked the BC website. $100 for the 3 cd deluxe at their website! Hope they release a no-frills version for significantly less, or else I will probably spend the cash for the 2 cd edition. Maybe.

      1. I think they have bunged a few replica ticket stubs so they can make the most out of their biggest seller (oops no it isn’t, but it is their highest chart placing in most territories). I will wait for the inevitable price drop I guess (or miss it)

  199. In November, Esoteric Antenna (a branch of Cherry Red) will reissue two solo albums from Peter Hammill, frontman of Van Der Graaf Generator. The albums are ‘In a Foreign Town’ and ‘Out of Water’. According to the press release, Peter has re-recorded elements of the music to strip away some dated production touches. (It seems a bit like ‘Director’s Cut’ by Kate Bush?). Seems interesting!

  200. Massively overpriced 5CD In Utero 30th just announced. less stuff on the basic album than the 20th and four CDs of Los Angeles and Seattle concerts. No DVD or Blu-Ray. If it is like Nevermind it will be down to £30 in a year, when I may consider it!

  201. Good Day Paul,
    I know you must be getting fed up by this question but and clue to if there will be a new McCartney, Lennon, Springsteen or Beatle box set before the Holidays.

    Anybody hear any concrete rumors?

  202. Neil Young has revealed in an easy-to-miss aside on his website that he is working with long-time producer Niko Bolas on mixing what Young describes as ” all my old albums” in Dolby Atmos and Apple Spatial so “the next generation can hear them” . No release schedule mentioned.

  203. just spotted that there are 2999 comments so I had to pointlessly log in to leave another one to try to get number 3000. I obviously won’t be able to tell and Paul may bin this anyway! The SDE Postbox is usually a useful scan for stuff that doesn’t necessarily make it to the main site.
    Anyway, I would have commented on the Tom Waits remasters, but I will wait to see what the consensus is as I bought them on vinyl when released, then again on brutally unannotated CDs. They are not remixes so I may not be able to tell, which will save me £60 ha ha

    1. God bless him indeed. We love both the man and his music. Try listen to the album Far Side Of The World, that album is his Graceland. The summer has just hit Denmark again and it’s margarita time here in margaritaville because it’s five o’clock somewhere and it feels good to be a Parrothead.

      I still believe in rock ‘n’ roll
      It pays my bills and soothes my soul
      There really really isn’t
      A whole lot more around
      Except for Frank Sinatra and his big band sound
      I want music in my music
      I want chicken in my soup
      I want caffeine in my system let’s revive the hula hoop

      Jimmy Buffett

      1. What a great lyric OB&S, it has made my day. I got into Mr. Buffett and his wasting-aways through Alan Jackson. If you’re in a certain mood, he really hits the spot. Oh! I’ve just noticed that it’s five o’clock.

    2. I have one Jimmy Buffett CD from when I got hammered on Margaritas in Chicago, bought as a joke by my friend who annoyingly moved there. I do like that song though.

  204. The next Frank Zappa release(Bov.28th) is “Overnite Sensation”, a 4-CD + Blu-Ray-Audio set. In addition to unreleased studio outtakes & concert recordings, the set includes a Blu-Ray-audio disc including new 5.1 surround and ATMOS mixes plus the original stereo & Quadraphonic mixes. At the moment, the set can only be preordered through Universal Music sites. Other dealers decided to hold off on accepting preorders, following a release postponement from Nov.3rd to Nov.23rd.

  205. In recent years, Sony Music Japan has been releasing a series of Hybrid SACD’s( in elaborate 7″ x 7″ reproductions of the original album covers) featuring vintage quadrophonic mixes(or 5.1 mixes) plus original stereo mixes by Jeff Beck,Santana, Miles Davis, Mahavishnu Orchestra & Carole King. The Carole King album(“Tapestry”) didn’t have a quadrophonic mix so a 1990’s 5.1 mix was included.
    The series recently continued with Al Kooper/Mike Bloomfield/Stephen Stills-Super Session(The 5.1 surround mix previously offered by the now-defunct American label “Audio Fidelity” plus the stereo mix) and the next release(announced by Sony’s Japanese website, but not yet available to preorder anywhere) is “”Devadip Carlos Santana & Mahavishnu John McLaughlin-Love Devotion and Surrender”(The quadraphonic & stereo mixes). For unknown reasons, the album’s Japanese title translates as “Soul Brothers”

  206. With respect to the uncertainty over possible Beatles product that may (or may not) be released this year, one participant in The Steve Hoffman Forums said this:”Apple needs to see the emotional damages and temporary insanity that they are causing to their biggest fans”.
    I couldn’t have said it better.

  207. The Darkness release a deluxe edition of Permission To Land on the 6th October.
    The 20th anniversary version of the album is marked with a special 4CD/1DVD release, including the full original album, rare B-sides, bonus unreleased demos, as well as live albums from their shows at London’s Astoria (2003), Knebworth (in support of Robbie Williams in 2003) and Wembley Arena (2004).

    1. I can’t wait. It’s one of my favorite albums of all time. I saw The Darkness perform live last year, for the first time, and they were FANTASTIC.

    2. Their B sides were mostly terrific and made those dinky old CD singles great value.‘Planning Permission’ is my all time favourite Darkness song that isn’t called ‘Bald’, which rocks it’s hair off.

  208. Cherry Red are issuing a 4CD Box Set of Lene Lovich, November 24th, titled ‘Toy Box: The Stiff Years 1978-1983.

    • 4CD box set compiling everything Lene Lovich released for Stiff Records between 1978 and 1983 for the first time.

    • 81 tracks in total, over 20 tracks making their debut on CD, including B-sides, early versions, 12-inch versions.

    • Freshly mastered, with sleeve notes from Scott Davies and Michael Robson, with extensive words from ‘the first lady of Stiff’ herself.

    • ‘Toy Box’ is the ultimate compilation of Lene’s years with Stiff; her name so synonymous with the label.

    With a striking appearance and sound to match, Lene Lovich arrived at Stiff Records in the summer of 1978, surfing the new wave and the subsequent ‘Be Stiff’ UK tour. Travelling by train together with labelmates Mickey Jupp, Jona Lewie, Rachel Sweet and Wreckless Eric, Lene proved to be the hit of the tour, both on record and on stage, and so began a productive five- year spell with the label.

    ‘Stateless’ (Original Mix) is the debut album released in October 1978 to coincide with the ‘Be Stiff’ tour. Including ‘Lucky Number’, ‘Say When’ and a gloriously retro cover of Tommy James & The Shondells hit, ‘I Think We’re Alone Now’. Bonus tracks include various versions of ‘Lucky Number’ in development (early B-Side version, Instrumental and rare US Slavic Dance 12” version), together with a Japanese version of ‘I Think We’re Alone Now’.

    ‘Stateless’ (US/UK Remix) – released in 1979 to accompany a remixed ‘Lucky Number’ became a surprise Top 3 UK hit and its subsequent release in the States, the ‘Stateless’ US/UK remix includes the familiar ‘Lucky Number’ and ‘Say When’ hit versions. Bonus tracks include several live recordings from Lene’s UK and USA tours in early 1980, captured at the Lyceum in London and the Paradise Theater in Boston, USA.

    ‘Flex’ – the eagerly awaited follow up to ‘Stateless’ released at the dawning of the 80s and featuring singles ‘Bird Song’, ‘Angels’ and ‘What Will I Do Without You’ together with an inspired cover of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons’ Northern Soul favourite, ‘The Night’. Bonus tracks include 1981’s dancefloor friendly ‘New Toy’ penned by keyboard wunderkind Thomas Dolby (playing in Lene’s touring band at the time) plus tracks from the US only ‘New Toy’ mini-album.

    ‘No Man’s Land’ – Lene’s final album for Stiff Records in 1982 features her definitive version of Dutch band The Meteors’ ‘It’s You, Only You (Mein Schmerz)’. Bonus tracks include the original Sanremo Music Festival single version of ‘Blue Hotel’ and a plethora of UK and US dance remixes of ‘It’s You, Only You (Mein Schmerz)’ and ‘Blue Hotel’ maintaining Lene’s cult status, particularly in the States, both on college radio and an MTV in its infancy.

    TRACK LISTING

    DISC ONE
    STATELESS (LP) (Original Mix)
    1 Lucky Number
    2 Sleeping Beauty
    3 Home
    4 Too Tender (To Touch)
    5 Say When
    6 Tonight
    7 Writing On The Wall
    8 Telepathy
    9 Momentary Breakdown
    10 1 in a 1,000,000
    11 I Think We’re Alone Now
    BONUS TRACKS
    12 Lucky Number (Early Version)
    13 I Think We’re Alone Now (Japanese Version)
    14 Monkey Talk (Early Version)
    15 Be Stiff
    16 Be Stiff (The Entire Ensemble Recorded Live At Leeds University)
    17 Lene Lovich Speaks 1
    18 Lucky Number (Instrumental Version)
    19 One Lonely Heart
    20 Big Bird
    21 Lene Lovich Speaks 2
    22 Lucky Number (Slavic Dance Version)

    DISC TWO
    STATELESS (LP) (US/UK Remix)
    1 Home
    2 Sleeping Beauty
    3 Lucky Number
    4 Too Tender (To Touch)
    5 Say When
    6 Writing On The Wall
    7 Telepathy
    8 Momentary Breakdown
    9 I Think We’re Alone Now
    10 One in a 1,000,000
    11 Tonight
    BONUS TRACKS
    12 Trixi
    13 The Fly
    14 The Fall
    Live At The Lyceum, London 03.02.80:
    15 Monkey Talk
    16 The Night
    17 Too Tender (To Touch)
    18 You Can’t Kill Me
    Live At Paradise Theater, Boston 15.03.80:
    19 Angels
    20 Lucky Number
    21 Home

    DISC THREE
    FLEX (LP)
    1 Bird Song
    2 What Will I Do Without You
    3 Angels
    4 The Night
    5 You Can’t Kill Me
    6 Egghead
    7 Wonderful One
    8 Monkey Talk
    9 Joan
    10 The Freeze
    BONUS TRACKS
    11 The Night (US Remix)
    12 What Will I Do Without You (Single Version)
    13 Bird Song (Edit)
    14 Details (Original Version)
    15 New Toy
    16 Cats Away
    17 New Toy (Extended Version)
    NEW TOY (US MINI LP)
    18 Cats Away
    19 Details
    20 Never Never Land

    DISC FOUR
    NO MAN’S LAND (LP)
    1 It’s You, Only You (Mein Schmerz)
    2 Blue Hotel
    3 Faces
    4 Walking Low
    5 Special Star
    6 Sister Video
    7 Maria
    8 Savages
    9 Rocky Road
    BONUS TRACKS
    NEW TOY (US MINI LP)
    10 Savages
    11 Special Star
    12 Blue Hotel (Single Version)
    13 It’s You, Only You (Mein Schmerz) (Remixed Extended Version)
    14 Blue
    15 It’s You, Only You (Mein Schmerz) (Instrumental Version)
    16 It’s You, Only You (Mein Schmerz) (US Extended Dance Mix)
    17 Blue Hotel (US Dance Mix)
    18 O Seasons O Castles

    1. This made me dig out my original copy of ‘Stateless’ , bought from the Stiff Records office, on red vinyl. I also bought the Japanese ‘I Think We’re Alone Now’ an a 45. I must see what other Stiff oddities I have.

    2. I will definitely be getting this. I had the original picture disc of Stateless (and Wreckless Eric and Rachel Sweet at the same time – I couldn’t afford all five) and bought the singles. I have looked occasionally for the albums on CD but could only find poorly reviewed CDRs from Lene’s website, so I am very excited
      ps: I stood next to her for a while by the mixing desk on the Son of Stiff tour at City University in 1980 (which she wasn’t on but had turned up to see) but didn’t have the nerve to say hello.

  209. Of interest to New Order fans due to their contributions to the soundtrack, the movie Salvation! (1987) is coming out on Blu-ray Oct 24 (Kino Lorber).

  210. OMD’s Bauhaus Staircase released 27th October. Official site has a variety of bundles, however all come with a cassette, which I do not need, thereby not environmentally friendly. I was hoping for a boxed deluxe edition like HoM and EE had (vinyl and CDs). There is a 2-disc version, the second CD containing demos, however after adding shipping to NZ it would cost $65-70, so that’s not going to happen.

    1. The release date seems to have been withdrawn from any site that was offering it, such as JPC. It is rumoured that it has been cancelled indefinitely. That would be very disappointing, when it actually got to the stage of a detailed tracklisting for 32 discs. Hopefully it will still get released. I think the one definite thing is that it if ever does appear, it won’t be for around £120 .

      1. I came here to ask about the Camel box set too… Maybe they realized it couldn’t possibly be profitable at that price? If anyone is out there listening, I’m ready to buy, so long as I don’t have to sell my house to get it!

  211. Michael Parkinson has died aged 88. That leaves only Paul McCartney, Denny Laine and John Conteh, still alive from the Band On The Run Cover assemble.

  212. Hello – does anyone know where I can purchase replacement “High Fidelity Pure Audio” blu-ray cases online (where the supplier ships to North America)? I need 6, if I remember correctly. Thanks!

  213. Dear all, massmedia (for example Rollingstone.com) reported yesterday that Robbie Robertson of the Band is dead. He was 80 years old. Rest in peace! Best regards Hans Lindskog